The World Makes a Way for the Determined Man
Muscles of Iron
Strength, Health, Physical Development, Inspiration, and Know-How
Selected Post
December 19, 2011
Orison Swett Marden was famous for writing books that encouraged, inspired, and stimulated men and women of all ages into productive action. Public domain photograph.
Several months ago, I wrote a series of posts as part of the Pushing to the Front Series. As you might recall, these posts were inspired by Orison Swett Marden. For many years he was the editor of a magazine called Success, and he wrote several superb motivation books, including Pushing to the Front, Rising in the World, He Can Who Thinks He Can, and Architects of Fate.
Marden also wrote a large number of special articles – not only for his own magazine, but for many others as well. One short article he penned was titled, The World Makes a Way for the Determined Man, and it was first published nearly 100 years ago in Progressive Farmer. And, although originally written for boys with farming ambitions, this article makes a good read for anybody seeking to fulfill a dream, regardless of gender, ambition, or age. I reproduce it here for your benefit, and I hope that you will enjoy reading it.
To the Boys on Southern Farms:
Your effort to succeed depends entirely on the amount of energy and will power back of it. If there is not enough vigor, enough enthusiasm, enough sheer grit and determination to carry you past all obstacles to your mark, you have no one but yourself to blame. No one but yourself can generate the power that will carry you to your goal.
Ill health or personal deformity may sometimes hold one back – though there are numerous instances of success in spite of them – but in the vast majority of cases the reason young people fail in getting a good start in life or in ultimately reaching their goal is because there is NO ENERGY IN THEIR RESOLUTION, NO GRIT IN THEIR DETERMINATION. They peter out after a few rebuffs. Two or three setbacks take the edge off their determination. There is no projectile force back of their feeble efforts. They do not realize that success in anything worthwhile is the result of tremendous resolution, vigorous self-faith, and work, work, work – steady, conscientious, whole-hearted, unremitting work. Light resolve, half-hearted efforts, indifferent, intermittent work has never yet accomplished anything and never will.
Get busy, then, and work with all your might. There is no such thing as failure for the willing, ambitious worker. The world makes a way for the determined man [or woman].
So there you have it – a direct and powerful message straight from Orison Swett Marden. Live by his words and chances are good that your dreams will come true.
Thanks for visiting,
Rob
PS – Want more motivation? If so, you might want to review this article:
Late Night Thoughts About Success, Failure, Victory, and Defeat