Leaders work the hardest to achieve the goals they set for themselves, and the funny thing is that their goals actually come true.
Wesleyan's own Bill Belichick '78, P'07 had something great to say about finding success (aspects of strong leadership are in this):
You can analyze performance a thousand different ways, but in the end it’s simple. You can do your best and still lose. Success comes when everyone you are working with is totally dedicated and focused on getting the details right. Don’t spend your time worrying about the competition. Don’t worry about whether other people believe in you. Whatever your game, if you work hard, work together and believe in yourselves, you will experience a peak performance.
It's important to realize that in order to achieve something you must put in the effort to attain it. Whether you win or lose, it's about the effort that you put in.
If you half-ass something, you're going to get half-ass results. If you go all out, you may fall a little short of your goal, but at least you know in your heart that you did everything imagineable to achieve your goal and that's when you become "successful," maybe not in the wins and losses column, but you know you the way you prepared and you should be happy...
It's not about who you're up against, or the economic climate affecting your business - it's what did you do today, over 3 months, or over a year to accomplish what you set out to do.
It's not about the competition, the competition is yourself, and it's how you prepare to be the best company, team, or individual out there. The people who continually make excuses are the ones without the jobs, or the money, or the girls, or who are left wishing they had what they could only whine about.
50 Cent once said, "I have the opportunity to make a dream a reality," and he wasn't going to let jealousy, a lack of motivation, or time stop him from being one of the most successful rappers ever.
They told Tim Tebow he'd never be a 1st round draft pick coming out of the University of Florida. Who's laughing now after he was the 25th pick of the 2010 draft. They told him he'd never be a starting quarterback in the NFL. I think we know who's winning that argument.
"You must show no mercy, nor have any belief whatsoever in how others judge you, for your greatness will silence them all."
