"All our dreams can turn into reality if we have the courage to pursue them." - Walt Disney
I have always liked stories: to listening, reading, collecting and sharing with those who are eager to hear them. In each story you can find heroes to identify yourself, attempts you may have been subjected to, unexpected upheavals, and inspired solutions to problems that seemed condemned to remain unresolved. The stories inspire, excite us. And, with their deployment, we begin to grasp the conversation that brings us the gift of wisdom and clarity that perhaps we happen to need right then in our lives.
Today I want to share with you the story of Ruben Gonzales, the US champion in the bobsled and four times the Olympic medalist. What makes Ruben's story special? The fact that, as he says, was just an average athlete who began training for the first time at the age of 21, 10 years later than athletes practicing sleigh. And, as if that was not enough, though living in Houston, a warm and humid city, he had chosen a winter sport. What were the chances of success? One in a million? One to ten million?Ruben says he probably had more chances to win the lottery! And yet ... Four years later, he attends the Calgary Winter Olympics; at 39, she competed in Salt Lake City, and at 47 he attended Vancouver, winning her performance at four Winter Olympics, each one in another decade.
How was that possible? Ruben says of himself that he has nothing special:
"I am a common man who has a burning desire and who has been willing to do all the best for a long time to succeed. I was just an ordinary child with an extraordinary dream ".
The moment you make the decision to totally dedicate yourself to the dream that you have, the winner inside you comes to the surface. Your real ego comes to light. The champion in you makes his presence felt. You just need have the courage to face your own fears.
In Ruben's vision, there are two components of courage that can lead you to success. The first refers to the willingness to start, to act with faith, to courageously move towards the fulfillment of your own goals, without any guarantee of success.
The second part of courage is the willingness to resist, to be perseverant, to refuse to give up and to continue to strive more than anyone else. Perseverance is a measure of your own confidence in yourself and your ability to succeed.
Ruben's success rules
1.You will not succeed in anything great in life until you begin to think that inside you is hiding something more powerful than the circumstances you face.
2.You can get away if you make the decision to follow your dream and refuse to give up.
3.Every success that you have ever had or which you will have from now on is the product of your courage to act and resist.
4.Success does not depend on how much talent you have. It depends on what you choose to do with the talent you have.
5.Successful people love the struggle, the challenge and the road itself. It all comes down to being convinced you have done all your efforts.
6.If you do everything that depends on you, as long as you need it, success is just a matter of time.
Ruben's message is simple and direct: "If I did, you can do that too. If you start to trust yourself, you give everything you can and refuse to abandon, it will only be a matter of time until your dream becomes reality. "Success is an option. It's your choice. Take the decision to confront your fears and do your best to get started. It does not matter the age you have or the circumstances of your life. If you have a dream in which you believe with all your being, take the decision to take you out of the reserve bench directly into the arena. Take the decision not only to be alive but to live truly.