If you want to be a winner you have to be prepared to develop a certain personal trait which others will not.

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

"Nothing in the world can take the 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; the world is full of educated derelicts.
Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent
The slogan Press On
has solved, and always will solve, the problems of the human race".

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

Kyne tells the story of one Bill Peck who went to extraordinary lengths to procure a certain blue vase. It is an endearing story which will take less than an hour of your time to read. Although it is a very old book, and may be difficult to get, you should be able to track it down using its unique identifier number, ISBN : 0-03-031400-3.

On the subject of persistence I am reminded of another story I read. It concerned a man standing before a concert violinist who was practicing with his instrument. The man was amazed. The violinist was so brilliant that he could almost make the violin talk. Eventually, the violinist stopped playing. He looked at the man and said: "Can I help you sir?" The other man said: "The way you play that violin is wonderful. I would be prepared to give up my whole life just to be able to play like that!" The violinist smiled at the man and said: "Sir, I did!"

Persistence and determination drove people like Walt Disney and Colonel Harland Sanders and Thomas Edison and Henry Ford and Mother Teresa and countless thousands of others to their own unique achievements.

Set yourself a goal. Get busy. Keep trying. Make things happen.

If you believe in what you are doing and it will help others, keep at it! Keep on keeping on. Use your persistence to join the ranks of those who succeed.

Winners persist - they just keep on going long after others give up.

Author's Bio: 

About the author: Gary Simpson is the Course Co-ordinator for the "Life, Journey, Destiny - Personal Development Home Study Course" and the author of "How to Stop Wasting Your Life and Start Getting What You Want". His email address is budo@iinet.net.au. The website containing this article and others is located at Motivation & Self Esteem for Success.