Determination.

"A failure establishes only this, that our determination to succeed was not strong enough." ~ Christian Nestell Bovee.

Most people would agree that determination is a key ingredient to success but is it the most important contributor? Does Determination Alone Work? How about intelligence, talent, circumstance and plain old luck - Where do they rank? Do we need a combination of factors and attributes to fall into place to be successful in any endeavor?
I guess it depends on who you ask.

Ask 'Rudy' and you get one answer - Ask a lottery winner and you get another. Ask a hundred people and you'll get a hundred answers from working hard to being smart. From having connections to character, ambition to ability, and talent to tenacity. However the common denominator on everyones list will undoubtedly be determination. How do we measure our determination? How do we know whether we really have it or just think we do? We measure it against the ~ "Black Dog".

The black dog is the name Winston Churchill gave to the depression that would often overcome him. The feeling of worthlessness, futility and apathy that he, and many great men from Lincoln to Kafka battled during their lives. I believe it's how we respond to this despondancy, apathy, inertia, and paralyzing introspective quagmire that determines our success in life. It's what we do when we question whether any endeavor is worth the effort to continue. It's whether we pet, embrace and accept this black dog or whether we choose to fight through the darkness he represents. This is what determines the depth of our determination. This is what ultimately determines our success.

Some black dogs are puppies ~ Distractions, embryonic ennui ,that lead us down the path of least resistance. And some are hounds from hell ~ deep depressions that drag us into despondancy and despair.

When the black dog comes to attack our dreams ~ intelligence can debate him, talent could delay him, connections might care, but there's only one thing that ultimately drives him away ~ Our Determination.

Retargeting and Change.

"Insanity is doing the same things over and over and expecting different results." ~ Albert Einstein.

98% of all website visitors leave without a conversion. They visit but don't buy or take a measurable action. So we retarget them.

Behavioral retargeting is a primary tactic used in digital commerce ~ It's also a strong indicator of what we do in sales, business, politics, social interactions and life. It's a method whereby we qualify, advertise to, associate, befriend and surround ourselves with people who share common denominators. In politics they call it "appealing to the base." We try to convert those who have identified an interest in the stuff, traits or opinions we have. We go after people that are like us. That way we become effective at getting more of what we have already got.

Retargeting the 98% who have expressed an interest is the most effective way to get more of what we've already got. In business it's smart and economically sound profiling. It just makes sense.

In personal growth though it's stagnation. In life it's death. Most of what we do, who we know, and how we behave is redundant. We keep going back to what we already know. Addressing that with which we agree. We try to convert the ideas we are already comfortable with into action. All 100% of them. We measure success and congratulate ourselves.

• 2% take action (Yay ~ we've already got them).
• 98% don't (so we keep going after them).

But what about the gazillion percent who've never expressed interest? The ideas, concepts and people that we've disqualified or are not comfortable with? What about the ones who never came to our site? The ones who've never stepped on our court. The different interests.

Could that be where real change resides?

Every Day ~ A Veteran.

Less than one half of one percent serve in the military.

The remaining 99 1/2 percent calls them ~ Veterans.
What does it mean? What are the values and value of a veteran?

Balance Is Codswallop.

"Live every day as if it were your last and then some day you'll be right." ~ H.H. "Breaker" Morant.

Ok get ready for this one. ~ "Life balance is a load of old codswallop".
It's foisted upon us by well intentioned psychiatrists, consultants and wellness experts. I say balderdash. Let me ask you a question. When you've read about people who made a difference in this world ~ Mandela, Churchill, Ghandi, Jobs, Keller, Edison, Newton or anyone else ~ How many of them emphasised "Life Balance" as the key to a satisfying life? Yes they had demons and oftentimes self serving drivers that made life difficult for friends, family and associates who got too close to the fire. But they did something that made a difference. Their lives made a difference. Go Ahead Make A Difference ~ Give Everything In Life All You've Got. ~ Life Balance Is Codswallop.

Vicarious Learning.

"Anyone who stops learning is old." ~ Henry Ford.

Some say we stop vicarious learning and switch to vicarious living once we reach a certain point in our lives. Perhaps we do ~ But maybe not.

Vicarious learning is a type of learning that occurs as a function of observing, retaining and replicating novel behavior executed by others. It's example learning in it's simplest form. Do we reach a point in adulthood when we stop learning like this because we now know stuff?

Recently my daughter came home, to visit for a day, from her career at Apple headquarters. I asked her "What's it like now Steve doesn't show up in the cafeteria?" Her response was a remarkable affirmation of the power of vicarious learning. As she dove into the culture, creativity and learning opportunities that she gained from coworkers, mentors and associates the enthusiasm and excitement she displayed was enormously infectious. I felt myself learning from her. Learning about enthusiasm, listening, absorption and excitement. I experienced and felt the twin joys of both vicarious learning and vicarious living.

Whether it be through our children, friends, associates or those we admire from afar we need to turn vicarious learning into personal action in order for it to be more than just entertainment. We need to incorporate it into our own behavior. Otherwise it's just another TV show that gets turned on and off. If life is really just like a light switch perhaps vicarious learning is the ultimate power source. A source we can turn on and off at will regardless of what we think we already know.

It's Simple.

"Life is what we make it, always has been, always will be."
~ Grandma Moses.

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The Change Monster.

" Compelling reason will never convince blinding emotion."
~ Richard Bach.

There's a monster that follows each of us. No ~ It's not the cookie monster (although he also follows us everywhere nowadays). This one is a two headed monster. An ever present ogre that rears his twin noggins when confronted with the challenge to change. He's present in all of us and so we are pretty familiar with his likes, dislikes, opinions and beliefs. We call him "Emotion" and "Ego" and boy is he entrenched. Think you can convince people to change with reason? Good Luck. Logic is a loser. Intellect is for idiots. The "right" thing is sometimes subjective and open to debate. When we think we're reasoning we're often rationalizing. So what moves us to change?
The Two Headed Monster ~ Emotion and Ego.

Give him a cookie and who knows...