What I am talking about are Hannibal Lecters of society. Toxic people.

Toxic people enjoy telling you every reason why you can't or shouldn't do something. Tell them an idea and they will tell you it's no good. They hope that you won't achieve more than they can and really don't want you to succeed. They whine, they complain, they spread rumors, they are prone to ugly moods - a thundercloud follows their every move. They are doomsayers. I'll bet you already have someone like this in mind as you read these very words.

Unlike Hannibal Lecter of "Silence of Lambs" fame, toxic people are not trying to eat your flesh. No. Toxic people want to consume other things - your confidence, your self-esteem, your dreams, your ambitions, your goals, your desires. I think you get picture.

The best thing you can do if you find yourself in presence of one of these people is to run, hide, make other plans. Just get away from them as fast as you can. The least amount of time you spend with them better.

Toxic people will attempt to indoctrinate you with huge amounts of negative input in a very short space of time, so it is imperative that you limit your time with them. They are easy to recognize. Their language gives them away. Every time they open their mouth out comes a litany of everything that is wrong with them, you, world and other people.

Are you prepared to do more to receive more? Or are you like most people who want consistently to do less and less, yet are mistakenly expecting more in return.

The notion of doing less to get more is a furphy. Oh, you can dream about winning and long for success as much as you like but it won't happen - not without magic ingredients.

It is a universal law that in order to attract more into your life you have to render more service. Only by helping other people get what they want can you ever expect to get what you want. Confused? Let me explain:

Apart from having a definite purpose in life, that is, clearly defined goals, you must be prepared to work hard and never give up.

Token efforts give token rewards. Massive efforts create massive rewards. A massive effort requires one powerful personal trait - persistence.

Calvin Coolidge, 30th President of United States of America, had this to say about persistence:

"Nothing in world can take place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent The slogan Press On has solved, and always will solve, problems of human race".

To illustrate power of persistence you might like to read a short book that I enjoyed, for first time, in 1993. It was written by Peter B Kyne way back in 1921, yet story it tells holds just as true today as it did in year it was written. The book is called The Go-Getter.