Yes Lives in the Land of No

A Case Study: Power of Positive Persistence

“The secret to Bob’s success is that no one in his life ever told him the meaning of the word NO,” our friend Margret told us recently. She was referring to his phenomenal track record in a highly competitive business. She attributed his amazing achievement to his ability to persist in the face of rebuffs, rejections, and red tape. Bob is simply relentless — cheerfully relentless.

What’s his secret? The power of positive persistence. People like Bob know what they want and set high goals for themselves. They love to achieve. They get a kick out of getting things done. They delight in finding creative ways to go over, under, around, or through roadblocks. They take NO as a personal challenge and almost ...