Life presents each us with our own set of challenges. They come into our personal lives, families, careers, relationships and marriages when we least expect them. If not careful, they will kill our dreams or force us to retreat into a corner fearing to come out again.  It takes a special mindset to deal with these challenges and not become distracted from our goals.  There are examples of people from all walks of life who have overcome some of life’s toughest challenges to rise to the highest levels of personal and professional success.

While some may call it luck, good fortune or a blessing from God, I advocate these people have an empowering mental force that will not allow them to give up.  I refer to this force as DRIVE. In my opinion, it’s a force that cannot be purchased or barrowed. We either have it or we don’t. If we don’t have it, it’s up to each of us to discover within what it takes to develop a success oriented mindset.

When I think of what it takes to have DRIVE, five other words come to mind:  DESIRE, RESILIENT, INITIATIVE, VISION, and EFFORT.  I consider these five words to be a formula for success.  This formula can be attributed to the accomplishments of many successful people from all walks of life as they aspired to become the best they could be. Each word brings its own special meaning to the development of a success oriented mindset.

DESIRE- Every person must have a thirst to improve or accomplish something within their lives. It’s an internal quest to do more and be more wherever they find themselves. The desire to be the best that we can be helps to develop a “can-do” attitude.  Successful people are not always the most talented, smartest or intelligent individuals in the room, but they bring an uncompromising determination to rise above current circumstances to achieve their goals.

RESILIENT- The road to success is full of peaks and valleys, pot holds, curves, dead ends, and road blocks to test our will to succeed. In the mix of setbacks and honest mistakes it can be difficult to stay focused on our goals. When life knocks us down, which it someday will, we must get back up and keep pushing forward. It’s fascinating to witness the resilient response displayed by so many people whose lives were impacted by hurricanes Irma and Harvey. They may have lost everything, but they are determined to rebuild and come back stronger than before the storms. Successful people can pick themselves up time and time again no matter the odds.

INITIATIVE- No matter how far the journey before us, it’s up to us to take the initial steps to reach our desination. Just get started! The focus is not on where we started, but where we are going. There is no need to sit around complaining about what we do not have. We must utilize whatever resources are available until we can do better.  Others are usually more willing to assist us when we show initiative to first help ourselves. Successful people never wait for others to do for them what they can do for themselves.

VISION- All success begins with a single idea. We must see ourselves in a situation as we would like it to be and not as it is. This approach gives us purpose and keeps us focused on our goals instead of the obstacles before us. It fuels the faith in our ability to accomplish what may seem impossible to others. Successful people never take their thoughts off the prize and are willing to do whatever necessary to make their vision a reality.

EFFORT- It’s important to strive every day to be great no matter the circumstance. There is no place for mediocre behavior or excuses in the pursuit of excellence.  Success demands that we invest both time and energy towards whatever we hope to accomplish. It’s unlikely we’ll reach the next level if we are unwilling to work to improve our knowledge, skills, and abilities.  Successful people understand that the only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.

There are many talented and smart people who lack the DRIVE to live up to their full potential. The depth of our DRIVE will dictate the level of our rise. Success is within each of our reach and requires that we push ourselves to become all that we were meant to be.  Share this blog with at least 10 other people that you believe could benefit from this message. 

Written by Dr. RL Kight for Mind Power Solutions.   Visit blog atwww.mindpowersolutions.com to let us know if you like.