Do I have What It takes?

What am I made of? Do I have what it takes? I want to succeed, can I do it?

Let us attempt to answer your question, if you are willing to listen.

I don't know you, but you tell me? So you have what it takes? Everyone wants to succeed, can you make the grade? What are you made of? Why should you care? Is it worth finding out? Well, it is interesting you ask this question. I myself have had to ask this question many times. Therefore I feel it appropriate for me to answer and assist you. And thank you for asking, because this is the first step in understanding self. Here is you answer to your question, what am I made? How can I find out?

It comes to others at different times in their lives. If you really want to know there are only a few ways. But all those ways require you pushing yourself to your limits. I myself was able to find out in athletic type activities, later in games of skill, racing, flying, politics and Business. If you ever discuss this with a mountain climber, marathoner, entrepreneur, soldier after a battle, politician, student finishing their PhD paper; they will be able to tell you better than anyone else. You can experience these things through many events.

I have talked to actors, debate students, chess champions, card players, leaders, heroes, Olympic medallists, fighter pilots, corporate titans and pro golfers, tennis players, fishermen, football players, soccer players, baseball players, etc. Depending on your sphere of experiences you will find many people of young ages who can tell you the answer as they push themselves on skateboards, debate class, making the football team, surviving the most recent relationship that week or even achieving the grade or parental acceptance. The trick is when you experience these things to realize their value. In my life I have tried to cross raging rivers, run marathons, worked to beat a personal best in track, rode a bicycle from Oregon to Mexico, run in an election, took 33 units in one semester at two different colleges in at one time, climbed mountains, grown a Business and many other things.

The more things you do the more strength of character you will feel and the stronger the self. This is important to your healthy consciousness and mental condition. I will not attempt to pretend I am an expert of motivation, but as most people listed above, I like you am the greatest motivator of myself. When you are crossing a river or swimming across an open channel of ocean, climbing a mountain, running a marathon, riding a bike over 200 miles in one sitting, lots goes though your mind. You then will look inside to ask yourself;

"How tough am I?"

"Can I do this?"

"Do I have what it takes?"

It is similar to the little train which said in the story; I think I can, I think I can. Some people will ask God to help them find the strength to accomplish whatever it is they attempt. Either way it is during these times of self induced adversity or times of battle, that you can determine the answer to your question. A person who pushes him or herself again and again can develop an incredible strength of character. People like Tiger Woods, Lance Armstrong, Arnold Swarznegger, Magic Johnson, Wayne Gretsky in sports can tell you this along with the former sports stars who later become motivators and teachers like Vince Lombardi who has the famous quote:

"WHAT IT TAKES TO BE NUMBER 1"

"Winning is not a sometime thing; it's an all the time thing. You don't win once in a while; you don't do things right once in a while; you do them right all the time. Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing. There is no room for second place. There is only one place in my game, and that's first place. It is and always has been an American zeal to be f