It occurs to me that although success is truly a blend of persistence and talent, I would rate persistence as a 90% success factor. I say this because talent is like a raw material, a gift that can only be transformed into value by relentless effort, without which there can be neither results nor success.

Have you ever noticed how many brilliant and talented people in the world never seem to accomplish anything, never seem to arrive, and never seem to have a sense of where they are going?

So many people, for one reason or another, are immobilized by fear—fear of failure, fear of facing the unknown, fear of taking the critical steps required to project themselves from the theoretical into the realm of possibility or reality.

The divide between success and failure has little to do with brilliance and everything to do with will and persistence. Have you ever fixed your attention on a child learning to walk? Do they fall and decide that they won’t try again because they fell? Do they somehow conclude they don’t have the “talent” to walk or the same gift that other children have? We smile because we have never met a child who doesn’t keep trying until they learn! Even children without limbs figure out a way to be mobile and to participate in life to the extent that they can. So it is with us. If we don’t have the persistence required to secure a top-notch résumé preparation, to work on our mindset and psychological readiness, and to discover, leverage, and face our market, no matter how gifted we are, we will forever be banned from the realization of our dreams.

There are many unknown inventors and undiscovered innovations because their creators didn’t have the persistence and tenacity required to scale that divide! So how does that translate to marketing ourselves?

It means that we must do everything we can to present ourselves well, to network with others, and to approach anyone and everyone to find our market.

One of my clients had read that it can take many interviews to receive a job offer. So he began looking at each “no” as progress toward a “yes”! What a great idea for harnessing and reversing the force of rejection and turning it into progress toward his goal of a six-figure position.

So once you have done the work of discovering your talents, articulating them in a dynamic résumé, and approaching your market with confidence and conviction, you are ready for the result. One wise sage said, “When the pupil is ready, the teacher appears.” A takeoff on that piece of wisdom might be, “When the seeker is ready, the opportunity appears.” Go out and make those opportunities. Remember, you only need one good job, and the path to success is persistence!