Asking for and listening to the advice of those whom you trust is wise; but in the end, you have to follow the path you see before you, even if it isn’t visible to anyone else. Experts make mistakes; experience is not all-encompassing; and well-intentioned counsel is not always worth heeding if you want to accomplish the goal you have set.

You have to believe in the value of your own ideas.

If, when you are faced with scorn, ridicule, disbelief, and outright opposition you can’t hold firm to the conviction you have in something you are aspiring to achieve, then either you don’t believe in it yourself, or you simply don’t want it badly enough.

There’s no dishonor in stopping; but neither is it praiseworthy if after you abandon your goal you complain about where fate has brought you. Fate has done nothing: your choices have created your life; and your strength of will is, more often than not, what determines the success of a venture. Not the belief of those around you. They will see, understand, and believe when you win – and when that happens, none of the opposition you faced matters.

When something impossible happens it is called miraculous – but miracles are actually easy to bring about. Set your goal, let nothing blur your focus in achieving it, and do whatever is required to see it through. It’s just that easy. And only as hard as it needs to be until you win.