“Patience, Persistence and Perspiration Make an Unbeatable Combination for Success.” –Napoleon Hill

A couple of weeks ago I finished reading the book, “13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do,” by Amy Morin. To be honest, the timing of reading this book couldn’t have been better. I recently received a phone call from Republic Airlines stating that I wouldn’t be able to partake in flight attendant training. I’m not going to go into the details of why, but it was definitely a wake up call. I now realize I should put my time and energy into pursuing a career in a related field pertaining to my bachelor’s degree. Of course I was a bit upset when I received the news because I was really looking forward to this new adventure. But I’ve always been a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. It wasn’t meant to be and I trust God’s plan and timing.

“Failure is part of the process of success. People who avoid failure also avoid success.” –Robert T. Kiyosaki

I have failed and been rejected numerous times, and I’m sure many of you have too. The more it occurs, the less scary it is, especially since there are worst things that can happen to you. I believe failure makes one stronger and helps build character by forcing you to think outside of the box. Failure can be the greatest motivation for turning the course of your life around and going in the right direction.

This particular passage from the book really stood out to me:

“If you don’t land that dream job, the common reaction from friends is usually something along the lines of “Well, something better will come your way” or “You deserve something good to happen to you after this.” But even though these statements are made with the best of intentions, the world doesn’t really work like that. No matter whether you’re the smartest person on the planet or you’ve persevered through life’s roughest circumstances, you don’t become more deserving of good fortune than anyone else.”

With this being said, I believe it’s important to remember that there is nothing about you that makes you better than other people. Yes, we are all different and have something to offer, but the world doesn’t owe you anything. All humans have struggles, some worse than others it just matters how you face them. As I’m getting older I’ve come to realize life isn’t fair but how you conquer obstacles in life says a lot about you. We have to learn how to persevere and make the best out of life with the cards we are dealt with. One has to accept the things we can’t change and focus on being the best version of ourselves, without keeping score.

What many people lack, including myself is patience. Sometimes things have to get worse before they get better and other times everything may work out just the way you wanted it to. Live life like a marathon, not a sprint. We have to live life one stride at a time, have self-discipline and never give up.

Another quote from Amy Morin stood out to me:

“To create your own definition of success, sometimes it’s best to look at the big picture of your life and not just the phase you’re in right now.”

Everyone’s definition of success is different, some want to be able to live in a mansion, have nice cars, etc. while others may just want to make a difference in somebody’s life while being able to live comfortably. Instead of comparing your life to other people the only person you should compare yourself to is who you were yesterday.

“Write your own book instead of reading someone else’s book about success.” –Herb Brooks