Though it seems hard to believe, the key to success is not luck, skill, or talent. The key to success in my book is incurable optimism. Mary Kay Ash wrote that every entrepreneur she knew was an incurable optimist. It takes something to be an entrepreneur because in most cases, you are literally birthing something into existence that was not there before. You are making something of yourself in a whole new way.

To create something new and persevere until it comes to fruition takes faith, hope and love. It takes love to generate the idea. You have to love what you do or what you seek to make in your world. It takes faith because when you start, you have only the idea and cannot see it in tangible ways. It takes hope which is the belief and trust that if you use the love you have combined with hard work multiplied by the force of time, you hope that your work will pay off. This is where optimism lives. You have to stay positive. Even on the emotional down days or times when the future looks bleak. Do not give up. Persevere. Possibility is there. Just around the corner.

Mary Kay Ash said her favorite definition of an optimist is “that person who when given a barnful of manure runs through it shouting, “I know there’s a pony in here somewhere!”’ I love this definition. It is so funny and real and I can almost visualize the person. We’ve all been there. We’ve all been given our barnful at one point in life or another, but stay positive, there’s a pony waiting for you. Choose to be an incurable optimist. If nothing else, it’s fun!

With incurable optimism,

Nikola Rosa