“Anybody can do just about anything with himself that he really wants to and makes up his mind to do. We are capable of greater things than we realize. How much one actually achieves depends largely on: 1) Desire. 2) Faith. 3) Persistent Effort. 4) Ability. But if you are lacking the first three factors, your ability will not balance out the lack. So concentrate on the first three and the results will amaze you.”
Norman Vincent Peale

As the Father of the Power of Positive Thinking, our boy Norman surely knows a thing or two about tapping into our inner strengths and achieving our goals. How heartening his list of success qualities is! Most people would probably rank “Ability” first, but he puts it last. And three of the qualities he talks about are totally within our control — desire, faith, and persistent effort. We can mobilize and act upon this powerful trio of assets right now, right where we are:

Desire:  The great motivator! It fuels our mind, heart, and soul and gives wings to our work. It ignites something inside us that drives us forward and keeps us going. If we can find –and do — a big enough “why” in our writing, the “how” will usually show up.

Faith:  This is the belief in ourselves and the intensity of our desire. It’s the stubborn, unyielding sense that we are doing what we are meant to do and that because of this, we are fully equipped to do it, no matter what anyone says or thinks or what circumstances
seem to be confounding us or obstacles seem to be cropping up. This is Sly Stallone, broke and dismissed sitting down and writing the screenplay for Rocky in four days when no one else believed he had it in him (see Our “Yes!”)

Persistent Effort: This is the day to day pushing forward — the “inch by inch it’s a cinch, mile by mile it’s a trial” quality that allows us to be content with taking baby steps. This is the patience to take it slowly, to be satisfied with small wins, and to know that staying
the course is more important than winning the race.

Desire. Faith. Persistence. Let’s work on these three today. When we do,  ability will flow naturally and give us all the help we need. Write on!