I met with my good friend Dr. Mark Goulston for dinner recently. Casually, over our meal he said something that made me reach into my pocket and scribble it down on the back of one of my business cards. He said:
We have much less control over winning or losing at something than we do over trying or quitting at something.
If you always try, you can eventually win. If you always quit, you can never win.
I loved this statement and it completely resonated with me and what I’ve seen in relation to people being successful at networking or at anything for that matter.
When people give up (even in their thoughts), it’s ‘game-over.’ I’ve always thought that I may not be the most successful man in the room or the smartest man in the room, but I’m pretty confident that I’m the most persistent man in the room. That commitment to “trying” has helped me succeed. I think it is the one thing that consistently helps anyone have long term success.
The whole process must begin with the old axiom – if you think you can or you think you can’t … you’ll be right.
