Most people tend to dream about the rise but never hit the gas and go for it. 

Few people DO finally take a cut and chase something bigger. You know you are one of those people when you whisper to yourself:

“What’s the worst that can happen?”

If that’s what you need to tell yourself to get your motor running, I’m all for it.

I think about ceilings and floors differently. 

How low are you willing to go to chase something you have conviction for?

Most people are not game. 

For starters, it’s hard to take a real cut if you’ve never set a goal in the first place. 

About 70% of U.S. adults SAY they intend to set personal goals.

Great. Start there. 

However…

According to research often cited from the University of Scranton (widely reported, though sometimes debated), only about 8% of people achieve the goals they set.

Ok, I can see why that would deter you.

Personally? 

My professional experiences have been very much like a slingshot….

Meaning I’ve had to go low — real low to the point where a few times early in my entrepreneurial endeavors I was sharing rooms with colleagues and fearful on when checks would clear to make payroll.

But here’s the thing:

I never lost focus.

I never lost faith.

I also like what my friend and motivational speaker Michelle Poler has said in the past:

“What’s the best that can happen?” 

It has been the times I stayed with something — even when there was fear and I was near that floor — that I believed we would get through it, that we’d slingshot up towards that ceiling. 

Don’t just take my word for it.  Take it from Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson:

“In 1995 I had $7 bucks in my pocket and knew two things: I’m broke as hell and one day I won’t be. You have to be willing to be the hardest worker in the room. Success isn’t overnight. It’s when every day you get a little better than the day before.”

Don’t want to take The Rock’s words? How about Steve Job’s:

“I’m convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance.”

Usually, you are closer than you think. 

Stick with it. You’ll regret it later if you don’t. 

Courage is Regret Insurance. 

If you want to manifest the best sometimes it IS about how low you are willing to go.