Finding true success is never easy. Greatness only arrives when we overcome obstacles.

In his book “An Iron Will”, Orison Swett Marden Relates:

“It is all very well,” said Charles J. Fox, “to tell me that a young man has distinguished himself by a brilliant first speech. He may go on satisfied with his first triumph; but show me a young man who has not succeeded at first, and has then gone on, and I will back that man to do better than those who succeeded at the first trial.” Cobden broke down completely the first time he appeared on a platform in Manchester, and the chairman apologized for him; but he did not give up speaking until every poor man in England had a larger, better, and cheaper loaf. Young Disraeli sprung from a hated and persecuted race, pushed his way up through the middle classes and upper classes, until he stood self-poised upon the topmost round of political and social power. At first he was scoffed at, ridiculed, rebuffed, hissed from the House of Commons; he simply said, “The time will come when you will hear me.” The time did come, and he swayed the sceptre of England for a quarter of a century.

If at first you do succeed and you never run into to trouble, one of three things is probably true:

1. You are a natural. You were born to do it. The world is lucky to have you in it because of your great instinctive talent.
2. You’re not aiming high enough. You have taken the easy road and not achieved your potential.
3. You are about to run into trouble.

The likely scenarios are the last two, and you do in fact run into obstacles. Big one’s, too.

Don’t worry. It’s part of becoming successful.

Greatness and success are the natural consequences when we overcome obstacles. The greater the problem in your path, the greater your success will be.

Think of your greatest hero or heroes. Why are they your heroes? What makes them deserve your admiration? Why do you even remember them? It’s because they overcame, isn’t it? They learned to walk when doctors said it was impossible, they led their team to victory over unbeatable opponents, they rose from the gutters of poverty into tremendous wealth, they preformed against all odds, they overcame the sorest trial, they did the impossible. They were not successful because life was easy. They were successful because they had problems, and the problems did not stop them.

Just know that next time you have a major trial, it is nothing but an opportunity for you to succeed.