Hero (26 page)

PETE CARROLL

Not everybody has the same level of determination. When the obstacle shows up and the doubts start to creep in, not everybody has the same grit that drives them to stick to it. But the potential is there.

When you tried to walk as a baby, you fell down hundreds of times. When you first tried to feed yourself, you put the food in your eye, on your cheek, and everywhere but your mouth. Learning how to talk was a long journey full of mistakes, but you never once considered giving up. Determination is part of your very nature. You have it within you, and you can find it again.

MICHAEL ACTON SMITH

By real bootstrapping we managed to cobble together the cash to get the business going. But it’s tough. Banks won’t lend you money. No one is willing to take a risk on you if you’ve never done anything before. You just have to roll your sleeves up and find a way.

If you have a burning desire for your dream, then you will have all the determination you need to make it a reality. There may be days when you feel a bit down, there may be days when you doubt yourself, or when you even feel you can’t do it, but your burning desire will carry you through those days. A burning desire within you is a powerful force that overrides any temporary feeling of wanting to give up, and provides you with a commitment and a determination that cuts through any difficulty you may encounter. When we were making
The Secret
film my burning desire and belief were so great that I never even thought about acquiring determination because my strong desire meant I was already filled with it.

ANASTASIA SOARE

I needed a credit card. I went to the bank, and they didn’t want to give me a credit card because I didn’t have a history, and my mother didn’t have a history. I said to the Wells Fargo bank manager in Beverly Hills, “If you do not help me, how will I build credit? Give me $500. I’m not asking you for $5 million. I will put $1,000 in the bank and you give me $500.” He didn’t want to. I said, “Listen, I’m going to set myself on fire in front of the bank.” So he gave me the $500 credit card. And I’m still a customer of Wells Fargo.

Determination also arises out of your belief in yourself. When you believe in yourself you naturally have determination. Coaches and personal trainers have a positive impact on us because they continually tell us that we can be better, that we can do it, and they urge us on at every step. Their belief in us makes us believe we can achieve our dream, and when we believe, we have the determination to achieve anything. You can be your own coach! You can urge yourself on with positive self-talk; tell yourself you can do it, that you’ve triumphed in far tougher times, that you’ve got what it takes, that you made a commitment and the success of your dream is in your hands, and that you
will
be victorious! Your subconscious mind will hear every word you say, and then you
will
do it!

MASTIN KIPP

Dreams are like a seed; it takes time to plant it. It doesn’t happen overnight. We’ve forgotten that we have to earn it. We’re in this instant gratification, give it to me now, and by the way, I don’t have to do anything for it, just give it to me. And dreams are earned. They’re earned. If it hasn’t happened yet, keep trying.

Never, Never, Never Give Up

LAIRD HAMILTON

It’s too easy just to give up. Giving up is a cop-out. To go, “I’m old, I’m this, I’m that.” That’s just a disclaimer to not really put out the effort.

PETE CARROLL

If you feel like you’re done, then you are, because that’s hopeless. We don’t want to ever get to the point where we’re totally hopeless. There is always hope. To me, something good is always going to come your way.

LIZ MURRAY

Even if you get a rush of determination, you can still encounter a day where you want to give up. I got rejected quite a bit, to the point of almost depression. On one particular day, I’d been rejected for the millionth time, and I’m crossing off these schools and I’m getting to the bottom of the list, and I’m running out of any schools that would take me. I came to one moment where I had to make a choice. In my pocket I had enough money to either take the subway and go to the next school interview, or I could give up right there and I could go get a slice of pizza. Pizza or interview… which one? I just felt, “I’m homeless and hungry. They’re going to reject me.” All of a sudden the part of me that dreams thought, “What if that’s the school that lets me in?” I had to ditch the idea of the pizza and get on the subway and go to the school. And that was the school that let me in – that very next school. You never know when you’re about an inch away. You have to do it one more time. Even if the one more time didn’t work, then do it one more time.

You live in a world of duality, and so there are going to be both ups and downs. You will have experienced those days when for whatever reason you feel really down, and every simple thing feels like an effort, as though you’re wading through mud with every step. On those days you probably didn’t feel like you had very much or any determination.

You will also have experienced those days when you feel incredibly happy and energized, when you feel on top of the world, and like you can achieve anything. Well, that joyful, blissful feeling is one of the highest and most powerful human emotions you have, because with it you not only feel invincible, you
are
invincible. When you’re full of joy you are also full of determination, because from the perspective of joy, everything seems easy. Seek your joy – follow your bliss – and you will find all the determination you need to achieve your dream.