Alex Shalman . comPractical Personal Development

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
~Confucius

Confucius, the Chinese thinker and social philosopher, got this right some 2500 years ago. He realized that the number one reason that people fail is because they don’t even attempt to undertake something great.

That’s pretty self-explanatory. If we do not begin, we cannot complete. What’s a little less understood is why people fail to take that first step when there are so many promises of rewards on the other side. I believe that reason is a stigma of not having enough.

In 5 Ways to Maximize Your Mind To Achieve Your Goals I mentioned that one of the prerequisites is to firmly believe that whatever you have is enough. Let’s take a look at some of our biggest ‘not enoughs’ and then look at some reasons why we really do have enough.

Popular Not Enoughs

1. Not smart enough. Some people tend to think that not having a super intellect will prevent them from succeeding. If only they had more brains, more knowledge, and more wisdom they would be able to accomplish what those other, smart guys, are accomplishing.
2. Not brave enough. To think that some people are born fearless and that you can not possibly get out there and succeed. How will people look at you? How can you possibly muster up the courage?
3. Not strong enough. Some people are just genetically gifted and strong. It’s their world. Why bother competing in life when these giants can crush me with 1 swift blow?
4. Not beautiful enough. All the great looking people get all the great jobs and all the doors in life are opened up to them. Right? How could ugly me ever compete with the beautiful people?
5. Not rich enough. It takes money to make money, so I can never be wealthy and happy, because my parents did not leave me a fortune. The rich are the best off in every way!
6. Not enough luck. You know you just have to be lucky to succeed in this world.

“We always have time enough, if we will but use it aright.”
~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

10 Reasons Why Whatever You Have Is Enough

1. Olympic Gold Asthma. Are you letting your asthma feed your ‘not strong enough’? Guess what, Nancy Hogshead is a 3 time gold metal winner at the Olympics. She has asthma. She’s also not the only one that’s won gold in the Olympics with asthma.

Approximately 10% of Olympic athletes are Asthmatic, and I don’t know the statistics about how many of them went on to win Gold, but just getting into the Olympics is not easy. Just getting in is an incredible physical accomplishment.

2. 900 Club Millionaires. In his book The Millionaire Mind, Dr. Stanley interviewed over 1000 Millionaires and took detailed surveys. The fact is that many of them didn’t break 1000 on their SATs. They still became successful, they still made a lot of money, and they still pursued their dreams.

The standardized ways to measure a persons intelligence are not very accurate. They don’t take into account many factors that enable a person to be successful. One of these factors are social skills, and there is no prejudice against who can develop and excel with people. With practice anyone can be great.

3. The Cowardly Lion. Yes, I’m silly enough to give you examples from the Wizard of Oz. Remember how the lion thought he was not brave enough? The Wizard gave him this magic potion in order to give him bravery. Upon drinking this potion our lion became the bravest lion in the land.

The truth about this magic potion is that, just like the wizard, it was a big fake. The placebo affect, the belief that he was brave, is what made our lion brave. He had it in him all along.

4. The Not-So-Handsome Billionaire. Think that all rich people are beautiful? Think your face has to be of a certain genetic make up to make it to the top? This can’t possibly be true. The third richest man in the entire world, Bill Gates, is hardly what one would consider a ‘looker’.

If Mr. Gates sat in his home garage, and decided that crafting computers was only for pretty people, then the world would be a drastically different place than it is today. =)

5. Deaf, Blind, Mute, Successful. The world renowned Helen Keller, who lost her sight and hearing at the age of 19 months, went on to graduate college, become a prolific author, and fought for her beliefs. An anti-war activist, who also fought for woman’s rights, worker’s rights, and socialism.

You know I’d hate to use language like this, BUT if she could do it then you better believe that you could do it too. If she believed that her disabilities could keep her from growing, learning, and achieving then she wouldn’t be the huge success story you hear about now.

6. Theory of Relativity. Do you enjoy your theory of relativity that was brought to you by Albert Einstein? I know I do! What you probably didn’t know is that Albert Einstein had a ‘learning disability’. He didn’t even start speaking until he was 3 years old.

I for one am very glad that Einstein did not let his learning disability hold him back. People with a learning disability have to compensate by creating excellent work ethic and many times this work ethic will take them further than mere intellect. The good news about work ethic is that anyone can cultivate it with a bit of elbow grease.

7. Music to My Deaf Ears. One of the greatest composers of classical music that the world has ever heard, Ludwig Van Beethoven, was deaf. Beethoven would often put his head down onto the piano in order to feel the vibrations of the notes.

He was able to compose the most beautiful music and go further than most other composers in history. Then you have me, who couldn’t carry a note on the Sax or Clarinet in Junior High. Sometimes ending the music career early is actually a public service to everyone around you!

8. ADHD Drama. Can’t sit still long enough for your teacher to get out the first sentence of the class because of ADHD? That didn’t stop Robin Williams from receiving several academy awards. This amazing actor has many accomplishments, played many beloved characters on screen, and did it all with ADHD.

I know people with ‘ADHD’ who let it be an excuse. However, just like with other learning disabilities, I think a solid work ethic is the trick to succeeding. In a way, you learn to appreciate your mind, instead of taking it for granted. This appreciation, combined with perseverance, takes a person to success.

9. Cystic Fibrosis Fighter. Andrew Simmons, a famous British wrestler, suffers from Cystic Fibrosis. CF is a very serious disease that affects many organ systems. Most people with CF would stay in bed, rather than fighting huge professional athletes.

This man went on to tour Europe and wrestle for many different wrestling organizations. He won some, he lost some, but he competed with heart. He wouldn’t even let a broken ankle hold him back for long.

10. Multiple Sclerosis Success. Richard Pryor was a really funny comedian, actor, and writer. He suffered from MS, which is a very debilitating disease that affects the brain and spinal cord. In his case getting MS forced him to give up his drug habit, which very well saved his life.

Despite his MS, despite his drug habit, Pryor was a very gifted and talented man, that entertained the world on and off screen.

It takes a certain type of determination to pursue your dream in the face of opposing odds. Some would say it takes opposing odds to create such determination. Some would say these people are lucky for tasting adversity, because it gave them something to overcome. Do you hear yourself? You’re creating another not enough… not enough adversity!

There are thousands of such success stories out there. In a way I would prefer if they were not success stories, I would love to live in a society where these types of achievements are the norm. A society where everyone is successful. Is this just a pipe dream, or can we shape this place together?

“The superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions.”
~Confucius

Photo by Pedrosimoes7