Motivational speakers will tell you the key is self-image. The key is not self-image. Self-image is based on the words “I am.” How I feel about myself based on who I am. Well, face it; you are not who you want to be. Whaaaa! Too bad. Why not just sit in the corner and whine about it? Maybe Oprah or Jerry or Montel will have you on their show so you can get the whole world to feel sorry for you. That way you can whine about it instead of taking responsibility for it. Surely that will help.

How you feel about who you are is just not that important. How you feel about what you “can do” is what is important. The key is self-can-age. I made that word up. My word is based on how you feel about yourself based on what you can do. And you can do just about anything you commit yourself to do based on the best use of your abilities.

I do not give one hoot about what “you am.” The only thing im¬portant is what “you can.” Once again, you can do just about any¬thing. People have done amazing things. I can show you people with tremendous difficulties to overcome and yet they still accomplish the most incredible things. It does not matter who you are or how you feel about who you are, because you rarely feel good enough about yourself to do amazing things. The important thing is to know, with¬out a doubt, that you can do amazing things. Not perfectly—at least not to begin with. But when you begin by doing a little you can build the courage to do more. And with that courage you can do a little more, and then a little more. And then a little more until it is done and something amazing has been accomplished.

That is why motivation alone does not work. Motivation typi¬cally means that some outside force will inspire you to feel good enough about yourself so you will be able to do anything your little heart desires. Forget it. Instead I say that in order to do anything your heart desires you must know you can do anything, because if it has ever been done by anyone at any time then you, too, can do it. No one is special. It is just that some people have the courage to be¬gin and are willing to risk failure and are willing to continue doing it until it gets done.