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I'm Deborah, survivor of everything from multiple cancer battles to major business setbacks. Join my search for ways to move the mountains, big & small, that block your path to success.
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Deciding to succeed

Conviction

Did you ever stop to think that success and failure are all in your head? No, that doesn’t mean the Olympic medals Apolo Anton Ohno added to his collection at the 2010 Winter Games are a figment of his imagination. It means the champion short-track speed-skater had to make the decision to succeed or fail long before he took the ice in Vancouver.

It’s simple. If, in your mind, you believe success is possible, it is. And if, in your mind, you believe failure is inevitable, it is. You can’t necessarily ensure your success by believing in success, but at least you give yourself a fighting chance. You can, however, ensure your failure by believing in failure. If you believe failure is inevitable, your preparation will be half-hearted. Or you may stop preparing. You may stop trying. You may neglect to show up at all. Why bother? You can’t win.

That’s when I feel most discouraged—not when the odds are stacked against me, but when I feel the battle is already lost.

Feeling hopeless? Remember these words of encouragement:

 

“To believe a thing is impossible is to make it so.”

—French proverb

 

“Nothing splendid was ever created in cold blood. Heat is required to forge anything. Every great accomplishment is the story of a flaming heart.”

—Arnold Henry Glasow, humorist and author

 

“With confidence, you can reach truly amazing heights; without confidence, even the simplest accomplishments are beyond your grasp.”

—Jim Loehr, sports psychologist

 

“The most glorious moments in your life are not the so-called days of success, but rather those days when out of dejection and despair you feel rise in you a challenge to life, and the promise of future accomplishments.”

—Gustave Flaubert, novelist

 

“He who believes is strong; he who doubts is weak. Strong convictions precede great actions.”

—James Freeman Clarke, theologian

 

“Desire is the starting point of all achievement, not a hope, not a wish, but a keen pulsating desire which transcends everything.”

Napoleon Hill, motivational speaker

 

“High achievement always takes place in the framework of high expectation.”

—Jack Kinder, management trainer and consultant

 

“Today’s accomplishments were yesterday’s impossibilities.”

Robert H. Schuller, minister






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