This Issue: Never Give Up

Be tenacious and never give up. You won't get very far otherwise.

Some people think I was born with the Midas touch, that everything I think about or touch somehow turns to gold. I'll admit, I've been very lucky. I've also had the good fortune to receive a great education from my parents and the schools I attended.

But there might be some things you don't know about me, like how I waited thirty years for one project to get going. That's a long time to wait, but I never gave up. Trump Place is being built along the Hudson River on Manhattan's West Side right now. We're about halfway done, and when it's finished there will be a total of sixteen buildings, making the area a very desirable residential area and the largest development ever approved by the New York City Planning Commission. I bought the land for this project in 1974. Most things don't happen overnight, and this is one example. Never give up.

You also have to be tough.

Tough is what you are when you refuse to give in, when you never give up. Very few things of worth are easy achievements. You have to fight the good fight. That's just the way it works.

I remember attending a lecture on creativity, and the speaker was making the point that creativity and tenacity go together and are important for great accomplishment. He asked us, "What if Michelangelo had said 'I don't do ceilings' and walked away from painting the Sistine Chapel?"

It was an interesting thought. But considering Michelangelo's character, painting a ceiling probably represented a creative challenge, and it certainly was. The only reason it got done was because he was a tenacious guy who'd never give up. But as I've mentioned before, you've got to love what you're doing, then nothing will seem impossible. Challenges will become pleasures, not chores.

There will always be obstacles and problems along the way. Being tough will enable you to work through them without becoming worn-out or negative. In fact, you should expect problems. That will save you the time wasted on surprise or dismay when they surface.

Never giving up is courage. Courage is the opposite of fear. Do not allow fear to paralyze you. Mark Twain put it well: "Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear - not absence of fear."

Being tough and tenacious can help you move forward to achieve what your creativity has presented to you. Sometimes the most talented people fail and those who are far less talented succeed. Those who succeed, regardless of their talent, move forward with confidence and know they will never have a good reason to give up. There are some areas where I do not accept excuses, and this is one of them. Keep that in mind. So, get to work. Be tough, be tenacious, win big and never give up.

Dr. Arthur Caliandro, the inspirational minister who succeeded Dr. Norman Vincent Peale at Marble Collegiate Church in New York, believes that if you are going to succeed, you need momentum. He has a favorite story about it that he likes to tell. While taking a walk one day, Dr. Caliandro noticed an ant that was trying to find its way around a big stick that lay in its path. First, the ant tried to climb over the stick. It was too high! But that ant didn't give up. It sped up and started to dart right and left, constantly trying new angles. In a few minutes, it got around the stick and was on its way.

This story teaches two essential success secrets:

• Never give up and never stop moving when you are blocked. Don't sit down. Don't make excuses. Don't call a meeting about the stick. Feel your energy rise and bring all your fighting spirit to the process of finding your way around.
• Keep trying new approaches. Don't keep batting your head into the same obstacle in the same way. Be flexible instead and try everything you can to get around.

The Power of Reinventing Yourself
Never give up . . . and keep trying new things That's another way of saying that to reach your dreams, you need to keep reinventing yourself.

How do you reinvent yourself? Start by studying the lives of successful people:

• Bill Gates started as a computer nerd. At some point, he realized that to attain his full stature, he needed to refashion himself into a highly skilled entrepreneur. He did, and now Microsoft is everywhere.
• Donald J. Trump reinvented himself many times. Early in his career, he developed properties in Queens, New York. He could have stopped there and built a lucrative real estate enterprise that would have been the envy of many. But to attain his full potential, he had to reinvent himself as a Manhattan real estate developer. He did, and then he kept reinventing himself as hotel owner, casino owner, author, celebrity, and more.
• Sam Walton was an old-school retailer who distrusted computers. But when growth of Wal-Mart slowed, he honestly admitted that his personal technology intolerance was the reason. He did an about-face, studied computer science and made Wal-Mart a leader in retail computerization. The rest is history.

Reinvent, Reinvent

Never Give Up is not a mantra for bashing your head against the wall when something doesn't work and you realize that it never will. It's permission to try another approach. Reinvent yourself wherever you feel blocked. If you dream of becoming a legendary salesperson but the big accounts elude you, reinvent yourself as a consultant who helps businesses meet their needs with products you can provide. If you dream of building a real estate empire but feel blocked, find a partner and start investing as a team. If those things don't work, try something else. Don't sweat it. Don't slow down. Behave like that ant and you cannot be defeated.

And don't forget, education plays a central role in self-reinvention. Be sure to access all the learning tools you can. Find online courses and other resources that meet your needs. What you understand, you can become.

Jamie Meiselman is a determined entrepreneur who will never give up on bringing the perfect wave out of the ocean through an enterprise known as Surfparks. Having honed his never give up tenaciousness in the action sports industry (snowboarding, skateboarding, etc.), Mr. Meiselman nurtured his idea while studying for his MBA at Columbia University. He left school with a degree and a working business plan. Now, more than five years later, he is on schedule to open the first of many Surfparks facilities in Orlando, Florida in spring 2006. Tenacity and vision, were crucial factors in Mr. Meiselman's realization of his plan. He discovered, though, that these qualities, often thought of as wholly personal, are subject to a number of external factors that can ultimately determine whether an entrepreneur succeeds.

When Mr. Meiselman began circulating his plan, he was greatly encouraged by the positive feedback he received - many business experts and savvy investors told him his idea was solid and had a lot of potential. Market conditions, however, were less than favorable. The internet bubble was about to burst and most investors were wary of even the most promising ideas. A variety of other factors combined to create a challenging environment for Mr. Meiselman's idea. The odds were stacked against him and the entrepreneurial process itself seemed to present major difficulties.

"Even if your idea is great and you come across as a manager who will run the business competently, you're only as good as the other business plans on a potential investor's desk," says Mr. Meiselman. "Your idea may not be right for a potential financier for reasons that have nothing at all to do with you."

Mr. Meiselman continued to modify his business plan and integrate the advice he received from those to whom he showed the plan. The positive feedback he received helped him weather the adversity and never give up. "Seeing evidence for the potential of my idea ultimately kept me going. A business plan is all about assumptions, and when you see your assumptions validated by others - including potential investors and customers - it really motivates you."

Tenacity, beyond the role it plays in personal motivation, is a key factor in how others involved in an entrepreneur's enterprise perceive him or her. "With most business ideas you can't do it yourself," says Meiselman. "I have two partners and 50 investors. Tenacity is important because it shows the people around you that you've got what it takes to get through the rough times, and that you're going to maintain your focus and keep a level head."

Tenacity, vision, and motivation are the key elements required for any entrepreneur to reach the starting gates of his or her business. These three elements, Meiselman says, are completely interconnected, and must all be present to ensure that an entrepreneur succeeds. "Motivation is the engine, tenacity is the fuel, and vision is the course you're following. If you're missing any one factor, the others won't work or will be weakened." That makes it difficult to never give up.

A modified version of Mr. Meiselman's business plan for Surfparks is featured in Trump University's online course, Critically Evaluate Your Business Plan: Seven Essential Questions You Must Answer. This self-paced online course gives practical experience analyzing a business plan. The Wealth Builder's Blueprint, a multimedia home study program, addresses many of the important issues entrepreneurs must consider to realize their goals.

Be tenacious. Be determined. Be willing to reinvent yourself.

Never give up.