We lost a great man today.  Nelson Mandela moved our human race forward.  He was inspiring, hard working, and a man with a vision for a better world that he worked to put into place.  We can all strive to be more like his example. Here are a few of my favorite quotes from him:

There is no passion to be found playing small – in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.

Our fears mainly hold us back from greatness.  If you find yourself making excuses while considering how to get to the next level, think about this quote.

Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.

 

For some reason, our society glosses over the trial and error and the failures that happen before success is reached.  People are not considering how much hard work goes into succeeding.  Instead, we see the end results and think that the other person must have been lucky or more talented than we are.  In truth, they work hard, putting in the hours and doing what it takes to become successful no matter how many times they fail in the process.  If succeeding was easy, everyone would be a success.

A winner is a dreamer who never gives up.

Never give up!

It always seems impossible until it’s done.

Keep striving until it is done.  You can create a better situation and succeed.  It takes a vision, hard work, and learning from your failures.  It takes persistence and a commitment to reaching your goals.  No matter what people say, if you want to achieve a goal or a dream, you can always prove them wrong in the end by sticking with it until it is done.

For my other thoughts, I have been thinking about how many of us want to take the easy way out.  This almost is never a lasting path to success.  We have to pay our dues, do the time, in order to become great.

Nelson Mandela literally had to do the time to become great.  It took that time for people to realize who he really is and that what he stood for was something good.  Sometimes it takes time for others to catch up to a great future, to a better reality.  Until then, keep on keeping on the straight and narrow path toward accomplishing what you were meant to accomplish.  If you want it bad enough, you will find a way to make your dreams a reality!

Cheers to happy and loyal audiences,
Shoshana

Shoshana Fanizza
Founder and Chief Audience Builder, Audience Development Specialists