More often than not we are in situations where we confidently set out to do something. And then we doubt our ability to accomplish it, literally taking the wind out of our sails. Not just that, it actually crashes the idea and forces us to trash it too! We have all been hearing about the power of positivity and are probably quite convinced about it. One has read or heard somewhere and internalized that the ‘I can’ spirit is the way to go and clearly understand the need to drop the ‘Can I’ question. Most of us successfully drop that too only to be faced with another question. How on earth am I supposed to implement this ‘I can’ attitude?

The mantra is simple. Dream big, Desire passionately, Focus hard and Persevere.

Dream. Dream big. For you need to know where you want to be in life. Dreaming is the process of visualisation. Once you visualise, you are on your way. You see yourself as what or where you want to be. And then you start living every moment as if you are there. Arnold Schwarzenegger (the Terminator star), was an Austrian body building champ in 1976. A reporter asked him – what now? He answered that he will now become the #1 Hollywood action star! Highly improbable for a little known non-actor and practically non-English speaking man! The reporter was amused. He humored Arnold and asked him how he planned to do it. Arnold didn’t bat an eyelid and responded, “I’ll do it the same way I became the #1 body builder in the world. What I did was to create a vision of who I want to be, then I start living like that person in my mind as if it were already true.” We all know that he did become one. Remember, if you can see it, you can be it!

Desire. We have all heard of successful people being asked for their ‘secret of success’. The one common thread that runs through all their answers has been brought home in this incidence about Socrates the great classical Greek philosopher. A young man asked this question of Socrates. Socrates asked him to meet him by the river the following morning. Once there, they started walking into the river. When they were neck deep in water, Socrates took the youngster by the scruff of his neck and held his head under water. The youngster struggled but then Socrates held him under water. The boy was turning blue when Socrates released him. He gasped for air as Socrates asked him what he wanted most when he held him under. He replied, “Air”. That’s when Socrates said, “That is the secret to success. When you want success as badly as you wanted the air, then you will get it. There is no other secret”. The motivation to succeed comes from a burning desire to achieve a purpose. Desire passionately.

Focus. Bring about a single mindedness of purpose. Once you have set your goal (dream/visualisation) and have the burning desire, do not lose focus. What better instance than the one in Mahabharata where Arjuna is asked by guru Drona to hit the bird’s eye, brings out the essence of focus? Guru Drona asks one of his pupils to hit the bird’s eye. When the pupil takes his stance, Drona asks him what he sees. The pupil describes the bird, the branch and the sky in the background. Drona asks him to step aside and wait. He asks the next student to do the same and asks him the same question when he is about to shoot. This student replies that he sees only the bird. He too is asked to step aside and Drona asks Arjuna to step forward. When the same question is put to Arjuna, he says that he sees only the eye of the bird. Drona commands him to shot and Arjuna hits the target spot on. Focus sharply – only the target should be in your mind, thought and action.

Persevere. You take practically any successful person on planet earth and look just below the patina of success, you are bound to find a thick layer of perseverance. You have to be at it. Thomas Edison failed hundreds of times before he discovered the light bulb. Henry Ford failed and went broke five times before he finally succeeded. Walt Disney was fired by a newspaper editor for lack of ideas. He went bankrupt several times before he succeeded with Disney World. JK Rowling is considered as the most successful woman author in the United Kingdom. At one point she was jobless, penniless and divorced with a dependent child. Her book Harry Potter was rejected by all 12 major publishers then until a small publisher agreed to print 1000 copies for a paltry advance. The rest is history. Stephen King is known for many of his critically acclaimed novels many of which have been made into movies. His first novel Carrie was rejected 30 times before it was eventually published. Henry Ford failed twice and Bill Gates once before they went on to become phenomenal successes in business. Derek Redmond was a British athlete who held the British 400m record at 44.50 seconds. In the 1992 Barcelona Olympics he was a favourite for gold in the 400m event. It’s the semifinal 400m heats. He tears a hamstring and is rolling on the ground. Nonetheless he wants to complete the race. Then, in a moment that will live forever in the minds of millions, Redmond lifts himself to his feet, ever so slowly, and starts hobbling down the track. Slowly, the crowd, in total disbelief, rises and begins to roar. Derek doesn’t win a gold but 65000 people in the stadium, many with tears in their eyes, gave him a standing ovation. Never give up believing in yourself. Never say die.

Dream, Desire, Focus and Persevere is a sure shot mantra. Success is certainly yours. However what it needs is your enforcing your free will to get going on this path. May victory be always yours.