Character Development Lesson Three

Our Greatest Power

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Great leaders are those who understand that thoughts rule the world.” I believe the greatest power we have is the power to choose what thoughts will dominate our mind. How we think will determine what we become.

I want you to have this dominant thought:  “I AM A WINNER IN LIFE.”

This story illustrates how winners think:

Bernardo Castro was an immigrant to the United States. He came to New York City with only a couple of dollars. He searched from store to store to find a job. Finally, he got a job sweeping out an upholstery shop. He could not speak English so he enrolled in night school. It was a large school of over 2,000 students. One cold December night he set out to go to class. He had to walk five miles and a blizzard was raging. After going one block the thought came to him, “Turn around and go back.” The other thought he had was, “I can make it; keep going.” He decided to keep going. When he reached the school the door was locked. Finally, a janitor came to the door and told him that no one had showed up because of the weather and that the school was closed. Bernardo turned and began his long walk home. He was frustrated and miserable, but after traveling about a mile, he began to feel happy and excited. He walked taller and straighter, with pride in every step, as he thought, “Of over 2,000 people, I am the only one who had the guts to weather the storm. I’ve got something great inside of me. My destiny is to achieve greatness.”

Bernardo Castro would gradually go from sweeping up an upholstery shop to being an apprentice to an upholsterer; to being an upholsterer; to being a furniture store salesman; then he managed a furniture store; he became a furniture store owner, and eventually the owner of a chain of furniture stores and a millionaire.

The key to his success was that he saw himself as a winner.

In order to develop this thought, I want you to always think in terms of investing for greater returns. Work, effort, time, practice and sacrifice are all simply forms of investment. The more we invest, the greater will be the return. We must always remember that life is what we make it. If you want to win, you must work like a winner. All the work, effort and pain you invest will someday be remembered in terms of great pride. However, only a few receive the great returns because only a few are willing to make the great investments.

A man who thinks of himself as a winner must realize that winners get after it and make it happen. Losers are quick to see why things can’t be done, while winners set about the business of doing things. Winners work. Losers gripe. Winners fight. Losers quit. Winners smile and laugh and enjoy life. Losers become cynical, depressed and suspicious of others and find little joy in life.

Ask yourself, “What do you want to be in life, a winner or a loser?” You can choose either one. It depends on how you think. It depends on how your work. It depends on you.