Principle 12
Turning Adversity into Your University
Obstacles are necessary for success because in selling as in all careers of importance, victory comes only after many struggles and countless defeats.
—Og Mandino
In this chapter, you will discover that the only way to fail is to stop pursuing your goals and dreams. If you keep moving toward your goals, then you can't fail. Brian Tracy, my mentor, friend, and business partner, constantly tells me that we simply don't have enough time in our lives to learn all we need to learn to be successful. That's why we need to reduce our learning curve by studying the successes and failures of others. Then we can avoid the failures when possible and emulate the successes as we advance toward our own success. This principle will help you better understand that all the setbacks in your life and in your business have made you a better entrepreneur, more capable of navigating any rough waters ahead. Another mentor and friend, Art Mortell, taught me there's no such thing as failure—just experiences that end up producing undesired results. I will show you how to harness these lessons, which will make it easier for you to achieve success in your business. You also will learn how family plays a very important role in sticking together to beat adversity. You'll learn about the trials and tribulations of Abraham Lincoln, and finally, you'll be inspired by how Oprah Winfrey turned around a rough start in life to become an inspiration for us all.
