What is your main reason for gaining success today?

Of course one should maintain a 'never quit' attitude. I do that in all aspects of my life. However, I believe that I have made it to a ripe, old age by learning how to evaluate a situation and determine early on that no matter what I might try, the likelihood for success just wasn't probable and continuing to throw good money after bad, or wanting to push on so I didn't think of myself as a failure was based on ego - not common-sense and self-love.

Some things just don't work out, regardless of what one thinks, going in. Most businesses fail in the first two years, both online and in brick and mortar, for myriad reasons. Just because a business fails, that doesn't make you a failure. You can say that if you had only kept at it longer, you would have succeeded is easy to say, but dangerous to attempt, once you know the truth.

I've had more failures than successes in my life. That's what has enabled me to ultimately succeed. I learned lots in those failures, including in many of them, especially early on, that I should have thrown in the towel, much sooner than I did, but I was too arrogant and obstinate. I resisted being honest with myself and admitting that I made a mistake.

I still maintain the belief that I can do anything I put my mind to, but I've developed enough humility (rarely, if ever, displayed here) to realize that everything needs to align properly for success to be achieved and oftentimes obstacles arise that can't be overcome.

There is nothing wrong with falling off the horse. You only have a problem if you refuse to get back on the horse and utilize what you learned at the last rodeo to make your chances of success stronger, on the next go 'round. Even, then - there is still the possibility of more failure.

All this crap that is of no value beyond being put on a motivational poster in an attempt to convince them that it must be true, serves no one, well. Like the one with the cat hanging from the branch of a tree with the caption, "Hang in there." If that cat wasn't so friggin' stupid, he would have never gotten in trouble in the first place.

I have a message for that cat. "Let go, hit the ground hard, learn your lesson that cats don't belong in trees and then look for another more realistic path to follow."

Smart people know when to quit. People that are less smart view quitting as a character flaw. You're not quitting the game. You're simply regrouping and tackling something new.

I don't view not taking action as the biggest obstacle in succeeding in IM. Taking action, for the sake of feeling as if you're doing something, when you don't really know what you're doing and then doing it much longer than is rational, that's a bigger problem.

If "Winners never quit and quitters never win," why is it that with all the times I have quit, in the end, I came out a winner? Riddle me that. lol