I have been writing these posts for several weeks now, but the truth is, I’ve been doing the research for these posts since I was a child.   A long time ago, someone told me that readers are leaders, and I knew I wanted to be a leader from a very young age, so I read as much as I could.  Stories about successful people and how they achieved their success have always been of great interest to me.  It’s amazing how successful people have many traits in common with each other and how these traits help them persevere and overcome the adversity they face.

As I go forward I will try and connect what these traits are and how we (inducing myself) can put them to work when we find ourselves or someone we know facing an adverse situation.  The beginning of what will eventually be a much longer list starts here:

1-      It Can Be Done. (Ronald Reagan)  I believe that this simple statement is one of the most important things to

remember when you are facing adversity.  Successful people always keep fighting because they know they can do it, and believe that it’s just a matter of time before they overcome the adversity they’re facing.

2-      People don’t plan to fail, they fail to plan. Successful people have a plan, and they continue with their plan until they overcome the adversity they face. Plan your work and work your plan.

 3-      You have the right to dream.  I heard this when I was having a conversation with someone that I will be writing about soon who was facing two life sentences.  During an interview with a large TV network about his case, he was talking about what he was planning to do when he got out of prison. The reporter was surprised that he was thinking about getting out considering two life sentences. His answer, “I still have the right to dreams.”  No matter what was taken away from him, he still had dreams, and he told me all about this not long after his case was overturned and he was set free.

There are many other tools that can be used to help you stay focused and overcome adversity, but starting with these three is paramount.  I will add more to the list over time, but until then, just remember that it all starts with the 10 Magic Words: Never Give Up, Never Give Up, Never Ever Give Up!