It Begins With You

How to build self-esteem and steer a path toward success.

- Raymond Houser

There are no obstacles so great in life as the ones we create ourselves. However, through discipline and hard work, there is almost no limit to what we can achieve.

During my career as a successful money manager, I learned a key lesson about achieving excellence: self-management is more important than talent. The most successful people are not necessarily the ones with the most talent, but the ones who believe in themselves and are determined to persevere in the face of adversity.

Self-management is about managing your own resources—time, money and skills—in pursuit of some objective. You cannot always control your environment—like the economy, the state of your industry, acts of God—but you can control how you choose to respond to such situations.

Even in seemingly hopeless situations, there are always alternatives that you can follow if you are willing to allow your rational side to take over.