By Marc Gordon

There are those who’s single focus is to achieve greatness.  They are driven and passionate about being the very best that they can be.  Their greatness can be defined by financial, social status, fame, power, influence, or a combination of all.

They will work tirelessly to achieve their goals and will not hesitate to surround themselves with those who can further their efforts.  They do not see these people as a threat, but rather as members of a team ready to win.  They expect perfection from not only themselves but from those they work with.  Every job, every task, every details must be done perfectly.  If they do not know how to do it the way it should be done, they will find someone who does.

Their belief in themselves gives them the confidence to not care what others will think or say.  Naysayers and those who choose to put them down rather than offer support or encouragement or pushed to the side.  For no one will stop them from reaching their goals.

Beyond their hard aggressive exterior is someone who truly loves what they do.  They could not imagine doing anything else.  The joy of perusing their goals and achieving success is unmatched by anything else.

It is these people who will rise to greatness and become the benchmark of success.  These are people such as Donald Trump, Richard Branson, and Steve Jobs.

Then there are the ones who don’t understand what success really is.  They believe that mediocrity is the norm and consider success simply the avoidance of failure.  They have no passion for what they do, often drifting from one opportunity to another.  They may appear to have many projects on the go, each one presented as being more lucrative than the next.  They will be the first to brag of their accomplishments, as vague as they might be.  But in reality they are just wondering about hoping that success will fall into their lap.

They will try to do it all themselves, afraid that others will rob them of ideas and steal  the spotlight.  They hide away from opportunity, fearing that it may lead to failure.  Or even worse, success.  They view cooperation as the act of “giving and ending up with nothing” rather the “the more you give the more you get back”.

They are reluctant to share ideas or ask others for input as they are afraid it will make them appear inexperienced or unwise.  They are afraid if what others will think and as such will tend to surround themselves with those who also find success to be elusive.

They constantly question themselves.  Each sentence starting with “what if”.  Doubt is the only thing they are sure of.  But for them this has become normal.  Success will be something just out of reach.  They will feel as if they are on the outside looking in.

There are no kinds of people like this with famous names.  For they never achieve anything worth remembering.  Even for themselves.

Which one of these people are you?

Marc Gordon is a professional speaker and marketing consultant based in Toronto, Ontario.  His firm, Fourword Marketing, specializes in helping businesses create a brand identity and developing effective marketing campaigns. Marc can be reached at (416) 238-7811 or visit www.marcgordon.ca