Reflect back on some of your greatest success and achievements. How did you think? Act? How did you get there?

You started off with a dream or a vision that caused you a burning desire. You know it, feel it- that gut feeling is telling you to do it, jump into action. Like a tiger eyeing its prey with pinpoint focus. I bet you have felt this way before.

Do you recognize these three personal drivers: Thought, Desire, Action. These drivers are within you, ready to be explored and developed. All three attributes go hand in hand in achieving goals you set for yourself. Achieving success that you want is a mindset, an attitude that you need to continually nurture and develop. It is a never-ending process that allows us to keep improving our lives.

Can you do it yourself? You are not alone.

It’s important to surround yourself in a positive environment where growth, encouragement and success is unbounded and championed. Negative thoughts taint your mind causing self-doubt and second-guessing of your thoughts, desires and actions. No one has right to kill your dreams before you’ve had a chance to advance them.

Also, don’t get caught in a mind trap that I call "thoughtless" thinking. What do I mean? Your thought patterns become routine and automatic. You do things same way, over and over because that is what is expected and that is how it has always been done. This is easiest way and fastest way to get stuck in a rut, never to advance.

Progression will never occur when thinking becomes stuck on a narrow track. You need to break out of that thought process and allow yourself room to think and grow.

The rise of Internet is a great example of how dreams and vision were explored and played out. Sure, there were quite a number of failures but these failures are lessons that have become next thought form. Without trying and expanding your thinking, how will you know if you will ever achieve success? It’s only natural to want to get a feel for things and to build confidence. Start small and start slowly but make sure you get started.

I couldn't believe it -- I placed! My first swim meet. I felt GREAT!!

In fact, I felt so great that I decided to join South Bend's local AAU swim team.

Me, an AAU swimmer! The more I swam more I was enjoying myself. I could see myself "winning."

One problem: I also made freshman football team. Normally, that would not be a difficulty except for one thing ...

I knew I couldn't be excellent in both sports.

A DECISION TO FOCUS

I said, "I'm going to swim and that's it. No more football."

And that's exactly what I did. For next four years I swam. I swam in swim season and I swam in summer.

I was relentlessly persistent!

LET'S STOP AND THINK!

Persistence is a combination of these forces working together.

*Our desires. *Our commitment. *And a series of decisions to act!

Persistence is "fuel" that propels us toward achieving what we value most in life.

I KNEW WHAT I WANTED

Back to my story. I had a *strong* desire. I wanted to win. I wanted to be on that starting block, hear gun fire, enter water ...

And win!

I MADE A COMMITMENT