I want to start by discussing what exactly I mean by the title “No Is A 4-Letter Word”. It goes without saying that just about anybody who speaks the English language knows that the phrase a ” 4-Letter Word” refers to a profane word or phrase. It means something that has a negative connotation or meaning. People that tend not to advance very far in their lives or don’t become very successful use the words “No”, “I Can’t”, or “It Is Impossible”, and “It Can’t Be Done” all too frequently. I hate these words and phrases. They are extremely defeatist in my opinion. Many times they are used in an all too perfunctory manner with little thought given to their implied meaning. I find that very little is truly impossible in this world. While I firmly believe this with every moral fiber in my body, not everyone is born with the same gifts. No matter how hard I train I will never run as fast as Usain Bolt or swim as fast as Michael Phelps and I will never be able to beat a Bobby Fischer at Chess.
While hardwork will get you a long way in life…luck, a favorable birthright, and genes will get you a lot farther. Having said this, I still believe that you can make significant gains and accomplishments in your life by not only hardwork but a positive attitude.
While I am not a millionaire or a famous actor or even a powerful politician, I have made significant accomplishments in my life through perseverance and sheer stubbornness. I have also made a lot of mistakes in my life as well. I am sure that if I could have steered clear of them I would have accomplished a lot more with my life. I believe that the ultimate goal in everybody’s life is to be happy. This to me is the true definition of success. If you are happy being a ditch digger then you are successful. Just because you are incredibly wealthy and powerful, it doesn’t mean that you are happy. Afterall you can’t take it with you. Another determination on how successful you were in life is how many people are truly sad that you are gone. If nobody misses you, was your life truly successful? Afterall we don’t live in a vacuum. If our lives have adversely affected other people at what cost was our success? Take for instance the president of a country. While achieving this exalted position is quite an accomplishment, if you go down in history as a failure was it really a good thing or a benefit to society? Will you be remembered in a positive light?
There are a lot of ways to measure true success in life. So you need to be cognizant of these things when you plan out your life.
So it is my goal in writing this book to help you navigate the turbulent waters of life and help you to become all that you can be. However, what you accomplish in life will ultimately fall on your shoulders. No helpbook can do the work for you.