The power of persistence in times of adversity is a trait that many successful people have managed to harness to achieve their desire and goals. Founder of FedEx, Fred Smith was able to persevere through many times of difficulty to ultimately build an air freight empire.
As student at Yale University, a professor proposed that the concept of air freight was the next big thing for the future and would be the primary source of income for most airlines. Fred, however disagreed as he believed that the passenger air routes available were incorrect for future. Fred went on to write a paper explaining that the costs would not come down in the current system and to become profitable through air freight an airline must service not only the bigger cities but also the smaller cities as well primarily as an air freight airline with no passenger routes. His professor disagreed and gave Fred a low grade. Now this was a major set back for Fred and one that many of us would probably see as a major obstacle to lead us to failure. Fred, however did not let this get in his way.
Fred went on to create the basics of the FedEx concept:
- An all freight airline which would primarily fly at nights when airports weren't congested;
- All packages were small, high priority where speed of delivery was important; and
- All packages were taken to a central location before being processed to their next destination.
It's hard to imagine that the idea of FedEx would receive initial negative feedback, but Fred was unable to find any investors willing to raise help capital. Fred did not let this next set back deter him and raised a further $91 million to fund his untested idea.
Once his concept began to gather the attention of competitors, they started arguing to the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) to refuse permission for FedEx to operate. Once again, Fred was able to overthrow this set back by ensuring his planes carried a maximum 7,500 pounds of payload which removed the necessity for CAB permission.
Fred started the company with 14 small aircraft in 1973 that took off from Memphis and delivered packages to 25 different cities within a 24 hour period. Despite this, the company did not produce a profit until July 1975 where it then became the premier air freighter for high priority goods.
The Concept of Determination
Whilst the story above certainly lacks a fair chunk of the detail involved, the general concept of overcoming adversity is what Fred Smith was able to do in reaching his ultimate goal.
Fred had a definite purpose backed by a burning desire for its fulfilment. He truly believed in his concept and did not let his professor deter his plans let alone his inability to raise capital. Admittedly to raise his capital he did have an existing $4 million on hand, it is still a staggering feat to turn that into the $91 million required to start the business.
He had a plan which was expressed in continuous action, his plan became a habit in his life and consequently he was able to reach his goal through his drive and passion in his project.
Fred had a mind closed tightly against all negative and discouraging thoughts. He did not let his professor opinion of his paper affect his mindset nor did he let those asking for his resignation when the company wasn't turning in a profit.
Finally, he had a friendly alliance with one or more persons who encouraged him to follow through with both plan and purpose.
Lack of Determination
All of us experience times of lack of determination to achieve what we want. For those achieving in the health and fitness sector, getting your butt to gym or eating the right diet and living the clean healthy lifestyle can be challenge especially when bad habits are engrained in our lifestyles. The symptoms below are some that we face daily and must preserve to reach our goals and achieve the lives we want:
- Failure to recognise and clearly define exactly what you want;
- Procrastination & Indecision;
- Habit of blaming others for your mistakes;
- Weakness of desire due to neglect in the choice of motives that implied action;
- Willingness to quit at the first sign of defeat;
- Lack of organised plan;
- The habit of neglecting to move on ideas, or to grasp opportunity when it presents itself;
- Wishing instead of willing;
- Searching for the short cuts; and
- Fear of criticism.
In the end no matter what our goal may be, these symptoms are all able to be overcame. Whether we are striving for financial success or a new lifestyle there are always ways to reach that goal.
Firstly, it is important to maintain a clear vision of your goal. Aim to create a habit through the desire of your ultimate goal. Create a state of mind that allows you to maintain focus on what you want. Taking the first step towards that goal is better than nothing. For example, some say the hardest thing about going to gym is getting there. Spend your day focussing on getting to the gym, because once you're there it's easy to get into the groove.
Secondly, believe in your ability to carry out a plan, if you're trying to lose weight, get fit or become rich - chances are the plan you've chosen has been done before. Importantly, stop blaming others for your mistakes and accept responsibility for what you want in life, too many people take the easy option and blame external factors for their failures. Find out why these are making you fail and search for ways to avoid them. There will always be someone jealous that wants to shut you down out of spite.
Finally, use the habit of concentration and constant reminder to maintain your willpower and build a habit to achieve your goals. Constant reminder of what you're aiming to achieve keeps one focussed on their ultimate goal. It provides us with purpose in life and allows us to live a life of fulfilment.
