| Vince Lombardi said, "Life's battles don't always go | | | | the project in question. What is not working will |
| to the stronger or faster man. But sooner or | | | | become more evident and steps can be taken to |
| later the man who wins, is the man who thinks he | | | | alter the course of the experiment and bring it to |
| can." Another way of saying, "It's not what you | | | | the desired outcome. |
| have but what you do with what you have that | | | | The next step that can be taken to acquire that |
| counts." - so long as you believe. | | | | sense of certainty is to keep the focus on the |
| Faith is the great denominator. With it, almost | | | | desired outcome. It is a well accepted fact that |
| anything is possible. Without it the road becomes | | | | we keep on moving in the direction that we are |
| long and hard if not downright inaccessible. | | | | looking at. It is a fact that is even drilled in the |
| Certainty has been called, "the winner's edge." | | | | mind of race car drivers. When the car starts |
| Very few winners have been able to make it | | | | sliding toward the fence, the natural impulse is to |
| without it. | | | | look at that fence. Race car drivers know better. |
| The problem with faith and certainty is that you | | | | They know that if they look at the fence, |
| can't fake it. Either you have it or you don't. We | | | | chances are that that's where they will end up. |
| might be able to fool someone else but we can't | | | | However, if they look in the direction that they |
| fool ourselves. How then can we acquire these | | | | want to go, if there is any chance at all to do it, |
| two essentials elements? | | | | they will. |
| The first thing that has to be done is to stop | | | | Faith and certainty are character traits that can |
| thinking in terms of failures. There are no failures | | | | be developed. It's called self-confidence and |
| only outcomes. Just because the expected results | | | | self-confidence is a belief and a belief is nothing |
| were not achieved does not mean the | | | | but a notion that is supported by evidences. If we |
| experiment was a failure. It means that | | | | can find enough evidences that we are strong, |
| something was lacking in the planning or in the | | | | confident and a winner, that's how we will see |
| execution of the project. It also means that we | | | | ourselves. Not only is it the way that we will see |
| have learned what will not work and with this new | | | | ourselves but it's also the way that we will act. |
| knowledge we can start over again and achieve | | | | That is, with faith and certainty. |
| the desired outcome. | | | | We were all born to be great in our own way. |
| The second thing that should be done it to start | | | | The seed of greatness was implanted in us at |
| looking at new projects or ventures as | | | | birth. Our life long job is to find that seed, nurture |
| experiments because that is what they are. No | | | | it, feed it, protect it and see it grow. The only |
| one can fail an experiment. Robert Pirsig said, "An | | | | failure that truly exists is the failure to try. If we |
| experiment is never a failure solely because it fails | | | | don't ever try, failure is the only possible outcome. |
| to achieve predicted results. An experiment is a | | | | It is a well known fact that a ship will rust out and |
| failure only when it also fails adequately to test | | | | wear out faster if it stays in port rather than |
| the hypothesis in question, when the data it | | | | travel the open sea. It's the same with us |
| produces don't prove anything one way or | | | | humans. It's trough challenges and adversity that |
| another." | | | | we expand and grow. It's also how we acquire |
| No matter what the intended objective is, if | | | | the faith and certainty that leads to |
| we've never done it before, it's an experiment to | | | | self-confidence. And, with self-confidence, almost |
| test a thesis. Viewed in this light, we become a | | | | anything is possible. |
| scientist who can take a more objective view of | | | | |