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steps. Success doesn’t happen to most, not because they don’t plan, but because they don’t act. They don’t implement the key activities. People fail to apply themselves fully to what they set themselves to do, because of several reasons. The main reason is just laziness or lack of mental grit. The second one is the lack of persuasion to just start doing what they know is right. The third one is lack of persistence especially when challenges set in. Every human being has a natural obligation of self-pity and self-preservation. If we truly want to push ourselves and start doing the prioritized activities, we must be willing to change our mind-set. We must not listen to the inner voice that tells us to preserve ourselves even before we persevere. Instead, search for inner voices that encourage you to challenge new horizons knowing that it won’t be easy. Learn how to build the mental grit to overcome that natural lethargy. To start implementing something, you need to be persuaded. You need to be convicted. That persuasion either comes from inside you or outside. The persuasion is made by either a threat or an inner belief. Threat of death, for example, especially from doctors, could be an external push to make you start working out. Encouragement from those around you could trigger an internal conviction to act or continue acting. Seek for those internal or external motivators around you Life in nature is a duality. There will always be day and night; rainy season and dry sea- son. But each season will come and go. We should never expect a sunny side all the time. We should, therefore, enjoy and pre- pare during the upsides, and persevere, but remain positive, in the downside. to trigger action. We must also understand that when we start implementing the prioritized activities, there will always be challenges and setbacks. These setbacks will always make us feel like stopping or regretting the course. People who succeed don't give up when those setbacks come their way. They persistently pursue their goals irrespective of those small challenges that come with the process. We must learn that when a setback comes, the body self-preservation instincts will quickly kick in. The instincts will convince you to stop doing what you have set to do. There is no gain without pain. And because the pain will surely come in every implementation process, that is the time we need to gather all necessary mental grit and persistence. Successful people are so persuaded that they relentlessly pursue their goals no matter what. Life in nature is a duality. There will always be day and night; rainy season and dry season. But each season will come and go. We should never expect a sunny side all the time. We should, therefore, enjoy and prepare during the upsides, and persevere, but remain positive, in the downside. Small blips in life won’t kill you. They are part of our life story. Success is not a smooth ride. It’s a bumpy ride, but upwards. Herman Githinji is a seasoned marketing practitioner and law graduate from the University Of Nairobi. Currently the CEO Bidco Land O’Lakes Company that makes quality Animal Feeds using American Technology. You can commune with him on this and related issues via email on: [email protected].