Somebody remarked to me recently that I’ve had a lucky life. This is a typical attitude of many people who view ones achievements as more profound than their own. My reply to this comment is always the same…..

‘Luck is how some people view my hard work!’

Sure I’ve experienced a level of luck in building my business, becoming a published author, a business presenter and most important a successful family man, but the reason for all this ‘luck’ is due to hard work! You just have to work at it. There is no shortcut to success except to understand that as long as your successes outnumber your failures you will always win.

There is one realisation however, that I was ‘lucky’ to discover early in my career and that was to never allow myself to give up on a goal that was within my capacity to achieve. No matter what obstacles got in the way, I was determined to overcome them. It’s amazing how persistence always defeats resistance.

There is one little word however that stops most of us from achieving our goals … it’s

NO

. It’s amazing how that word can be a roadblock to success. Let me share with you three little words that epitomise my success over everything else. Most likely you’ve heard me say this many times before, however,

‘NO IS NEGOTIABLE’

is an overwhelming powerful belief, and it’s worth repeating because it really works!

You see, ninety percent of people give up when they are within ten percent from achieving their goals and the word that stops them is NO. You never know how close you are to achieving your goals when you give up. I never take no for an answer and by having this attitude can

turn eighty percent of no’s into yes's

. I like to get my own way and by accentuating the positive, I usually do.

However, sometimes I need the help of my secret weapon. (It must be a secret because I don’t know anyone who has one!) It’s a rubber stamp which reads ‘No is Negotiable’. Whenever I receive a written negative response to a ‘must do’ project I stamp the document with my secret weapon and return it! This usually provokes a response that creates discussion. You cannot begin negotiation without communication-and the Bullfight begins! By challenging a ‘No’ every time, I can quickly turn it into a positive by refusing to accept an answer that supports someone else’s mediocrity.

The above is an extract from Barry’s latest book ‘The Bullseye Principle’ and is his famous signature story at his numerous local and international speaking engagements.

‘No is Negotiable’

is a registered trademark of Little Bull Enterprises.