“The longer I live, the surer I become that the truest real difference between the success and the failure, between the strong and the weak, between the rich and the poor, between the great and the average, is just plain will power, invincible determination”. These are the words uttered by Sir Thomas Buxton hundreds of years ago and, in my humble opinion, never a truer word was said. So the message is this: if you weren’t lucky enough to be born with oodles of talent, pin-up good looks, or an intellect worthy of Einstein, don’t despair. Luck runs out, and determination and persistence are what really pay off when it comes to achieving your goals.

Take J.K. Rowling as an example. Her mega-selling first Harry Potter novel was famously rejected by not just 1 but a staggering 12 publishers before finally being accepted by Bloomsbury. Had it not been for her sheer determination and perseverance, it’s extremely unlikely she would have ended up the highly-acclaimed author she’s become, and the world would be deprived of one of its finest literary achievements. Richard Branson is another great example. Struggling with dyslexia and famously dropping out of school at the age of 16, he overcame a series of setbacks and failed money-making schemes to carve out his reputation as one of the most successful businessmen in the world. Success isn’t handed on a plate to anybody in life.

Don’t Give Up on your Ambitions
Without sweat, determination and drive, your dreams will just be dust in the wind. With them, you’ll develop gratitude and enthusiasm, born from an understanding of how easy accomplishing your aspirations can be. Gratitude, understanding, determination and enthusiasm are the elements of a GudeJob! Here are a few strategies to help you stay determined:

1. Decide to Be Determined

• Silly as it may sound, determination doesn’t grow on trees or magically fall from the sky. It starts out with a decision to try to accomplish something. Resolve to do this and you’re half way there.
• Define your goals. Not what your boss, partner, parents or friends want you to achieve – what you want from your life. The more specific, the better.
• Strategize and break your goals down into manageable stages. ‘Find a new job’ is far too broad an objective. That’s the outcome, but what are the steps to getting there? Updating your CV and LinkedIn profile might be sensible stepping stones.
• Find the willpower to see it through. This is the essence of determination.

2. Accept that Sacrifice Must Play its Part

• Recognize that few achievements come without having to pay a price. Usually the bigger the feat, the bigger the sacrifice required to achieve it.
• Grit your teeth and endure the slog. Consider Olympic athletes and the pain barriers they have to overcome to excel in their sport. If you’re not prepared to put up a fight to get where you want to go, you’ll never get there.
• Resist short-term temptations. Whether it’s Facebook or the latest series on Netflix, distractions are everywhere, and ignoring them takes self-discipline.
• Don’t feel sorry for yourself. If you have to complete your Master’s degree on top of holding down 2 evening jobs, you can bet there will be other people elsewhere making similar sacrifices.

3. Have High Expectations

• The best is yours for the taking if that’s the standard you set for yourself. Refusing to settle for anything less is often a self-fulfilling prophecy.
• Be optimistic and believe in yourself. If somebody tells you enough times that you can’t do something, chances are you’ll start to believe them. Conversely, tell yourself over and over that you can achieve your goal, and you will start to believe that too.
• Visualize the end result. This is a great technique to get you through the tough times.

4. Stay Focused

• Don’t get steered off course by people who lack the determination to pursue their own goals in life. People like this often resent the success of others, and will actively discourage your determination.
• Don’t get hung up on the negatives. If something’s not working out, concern yourself with why that might be and how it can be fixed, not just with the fact of failure.
• Have conviction in your dreams. If you feel as though you’re onto a good thing, don’t doubt yourself. Self-confidence is key to channeling motivation.
• Once you’ve set your mind on something, don’t quit until you get what you want. This may involve working around obstacles and stumbling blocks but, look hard enough, and you will find a way.

Anything Is Possible
People are very fond of giving nebulous advice, like ‘Live life to the full!’ If you’ve never really grasped what these motivational mantras mean in practice, determination is a huge part of it. Ultimately, applying yourself fully to anything you choose to tackle in life is critical to success, and makes going to bed at night feel a whole lot more satisfying.