In the words of Calvin Coolidge:

Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan “Press On” has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.

Most successful people will tell you that they “failed” many times along the way. The difference between them and the people who are struggling to get by is that the highly successful picked themselves up and tried again. And again. And again.

Dale Carnegie noted that, “The successful man will profit from his mistakes and try again in a different way.”

So ask yourself this: Do you want to be successful or mediocre?

Here’s what you can do now: After you’ve thought deeply about a big idea you can execute, and you’ve verified just how sleepy your competition is, don’t let anyone talk you out of charging ahead. Pursuing big ideas requires persistence. So don’t give up when things don’t go exactly as planned – stay the course and you will see (big) results!