“Accountability” – 10 Steps to Success (#2):
2) Never take “NO” for an answer:
I used to think that I am not very creative. I do not play an instrument well. I do not draw, paint or sculpt well. I definitely cannot act. I am not what most people would consider an “artist” in any mainstream form.
But the truth is, my canvas is a business plan. My chunk of granite is a financial obstacle that would crush most people, but which makes me get up an hour earlier every morning to “work the problem”. My symphony is the hum of hundreds of people working to execute a vision that I have impressed upon them for the sake of a client. And while I may not be able to act … I sure as hell can direct. In truth … I am very creative.
As a Prince or Princess, your path to success and happiness will be littered with obstacles, some of which may seem overwhelming. Will you let them shut you down? Or, will you rise to the challenge and become creative to find a “work-around”, a “way through”, or simply break down the walls (or glass ceiling)?
I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing on the day the Berlin Wall was torn down by people who would not take “No” for an answer. It took them 40-years … but the oppressed and displaced people or East Germany (and the Soviet Union in general) found a way to achieve their dreams. They wanted freedom, prosperity and the opportunity to control their own destiny and they over-threw a political super-power to get there! Eventually, they did not just over-run their oppressors … they convinced their one-time enemies to come over to their side and became unified as a people.
When you have identified your “One Thing” (see Prince or Pauper – Book 1: Chapter 6), and you make the conscious decision that nothing and no one is going to stand in the way of you achieving your goal of becoming a Prince, you will find a way to reach your goal. You will “create” a business plan that gets you there. You will “convince” the bank to loan you the money. You will be “all in” and take the leap of faith, quit your job, do whatever it takes, to realize your potential. There will be “no excuses” for quitting. You will have become “accountable” to yourself.
Determination and the refusal to take “no” for an answer will drive you to be creative in ways you may never have thought yourself capable of. Your life depends on it.