What separates those who succeed in life from those who fail? In 99% of cases, you can boil it down to a single thing: willpower.

Age, race, education, religion, upbringing, experience, opportunity…I’ve seen wildly successful people and miserable failures come from every walk of life. None of these things are a prerequisites, nor guarantors, of success.

Willpower, on the other hand, is critical to success. It’s an absolute must. Truly successful people always seem to possess an indomitable will, an inner strength that simply refuses to give up. That doesn’t mean they don’t have moments of weakness or doubt, and it certainly doesn’t mean that they never fail. They have all of those things, in spades. But they simply refuse to give up, no matter what happens. They exert their will to push through whatever happens, to adapt, survive, and eventually succeed.

True, lasting failure comes only from a lack of willpower. Those who adopt a victim mentality, blaming others for their circumstances, are the truest failures. They’ve shown that they lack the will to succeed, and behave like spoiled, entitled brats who seem to think that the world exists to serve their wants and needs.

Sorry kiddos, but that’s a fantasy land. Nobody owes you anything. Continue reading…