I believe it was on the first day of law school that the very first instructor our huge class met gave the following warm welcome to us:

Welcome to law school. Look to your right. Do you see that person sitting there? Now look to your left. Do you see that person? Statistically, theyll both be gone by the time graduation rolls around.

Sweet words, the kind you want to frame.

But of course, he was right, in principle, even if his numbers were off. A lot of people who started the process fell away before reaching its completion.

There are so many mountains in life that beckon climbers, yet frighteningly few reach the pinnacle.

A martial art is yet another challenge that calls many, yet in the end, chooses very few for its top distinctions. Thousands of students have studied at my dojo, yet only 20, dating back to 1974, have made it to Black Belt.

So, what is the right stuff? You know, that quality that the true champions have that weekend warriors are missing?

Winners, the few who are left standing in the end, at whatever the goal line happens to be, are the ones who simply never stop. They just keep moving, and never rest.

Plus, they may gripe on occasion, but they never fundamentally question the decision they made in the beginning to make it to the end.

Have you ever run in a long race, consisting of several miles, and made it to the end after having fostered the idea of stopping along the way? I dont think so.

The idea of stopping, if taken seriously, is incompatible with finishing.

This is why Bill Gates, for instance, though he is one of the worlds richest men, is a winner, measured by his achievements, the company he has built, and his fortune.

I dont think he ever sees the day, off in the distance, when hes going to quit.

Imagine being him and feeling that, and youll know exactly what that quality is that enables any of us to reach the top in any endeavor.