I've long been a student of those who have achieved high levels of success. Over the years I've noticed several common threads in the makeup of the people I've studied. I'd like to recount several of those traits for you in the hope that in identifying them, you can implement these qualities into your own life and in turn be better as a result.

Responsibility, Persistence, and Belief in your own greatness - In virtually all the cases I've studied, every person at some point was faced with obstacles that could have kept them from reaching the level of success they are at now.

Certainly it would have been easy for each of these individuals to simply blame their life's circumstances for their lot in life and choose to surrender to the idea that greatness was not something they deserved.

Notice I didn't say that the "super achievers" I've studied did not have issues or pitfalls occur in their lives. No, what makes them different is that they accept the short falls and get on with the business of overcoming and correcting those things as quickly as possible.

My friend, the fact is that none of us can control where we come from, or the poverty that we may or may not have been born into. However, what we can do is to begin moving past what stands in our way now, and start doing what it takes to improve our place in life. To accept where you are now, because you might happen to have less then someone else is simply not an excuse that I hope you will allow to stand in your way.

I assure you that no matter what might be standing in your way, there is someone in the world that has a story of things that stood in their way that will put yours or mine to shame... Yet somehow they plugged on until they found the "magic key" that unlocked what was blocking their way.

As you move forward on your success journey and begin to believe that you are cut out for greatness be sure to reach for and review the countless stories of those that have overcome what was in their way and reached their own definition of success. Let these examples be your fuel as you move towards your own dreams.

The reality is that you were born for great things, even if you can't fathom this to be true at this time in your life -- I assure you it is still so.

I'm not saying for a moment that it's always going to be an easy path to follow. After all, if life were all a bed of roses we'd all be living the good life. But sadly, that's not so, life takes work, it takes commitment, it takes a lot of persistence, and a commitment to oneself to be the best one possibly can be.

I'll leave you with this final point. If you knew just how much greatness is inside you I'm convinced it would absolutely amaze you -- you would live each day taking more chances because you knew that with each attempt you're one step closer to unlocking greater success. So my challenge for you at this very moment is to get on with the business of being the best you can be. Dream big dreams, plan and put the action necessary to bring out the great achievements you are capable of.

Yours in success, Josh Hinds

(c) 2004