What Is The Skill That, If You Had It, Would Completely Change Your Life?

What Is The Skill That, If You Had It, Would Completely Change Your Life?

I could tell you a lot of stories about people who achieved success in life because of this skill. But I won't.

 I could, for instance, tell you about J.K.'s story. Rowling was a broke, divorced mother who used an old manual typewriter to write the first Harry Potter story. Despite warning her that children's books did not make money, her manuscript was rejected by twelve publishers before being accepted by another.

But I will not. I could tell you about Abebe Bikila, the son of an Ethiopian shepherd, who won two Olympic marathons in a row in the 1960s, became quadriplegic after a car accident, and returned to international archery competition. But I won't.

 I could inform you about Rowan Atkinson, the Mr. Bean, or Wayne Brady, the comedian, both of whom suffered from serious stuttering problems as children and turned to the stage to overcome them.

But I won't.

 I could tell you about Nik Vujicic, who was born without arms or legs, but whose motivational speeches attract huge crowds and offer hope to those with disabilities.

 But I will not. Instead, I'd advise you to consider your life and the difficulties you've encountered. Approximately when you were five years old, when it was difficult to simply tie your shoes. When you finally realized it, it wasn't because of your talent, but because of your perseverance (or your parents' encouragement) that you mastered it.

 Or about the time you were in school and had to learn a new language, and it seemed unimaginable that you could speak it with any degree of fluency.  But you stuck with it, and you did.

Or the time you fell in love and thought you might never find the person of your dreams. But you approached them anyway, and they did.

 Or that time the love ran out and the relationship seemed to be going nowhere, until you consciously decided to work on improving things.  They did, too. or that time when, despite the annoyance of receiving every rejection letter or none at all, you continued to submit job applications. Until a company called.

 Or that time you started a new job and felt terrible that you'd come across as a fake because you didn't know what to do.  until you had all the answers. Or that time you tried to start your own business and kept failing, until you found a way to steady the ship and move forward.

 Or that time you decided to start something new, like carpentry or web development, and you couldn't help but feel frustrated by how difficult it was.  But you persevered, and now, looking back, you're amazed at how far you've come.

 Talent is a beautiful thing.  It will take you far.  But getting what you really want takes perseverance.