Success Showdowns By Chris Widener

I confess, I love westerns. There is nothing like those “Showdown” scenes where the film is shot from down low and you see those boots moving slowly, step by step until they come to a stop just 100 feet from the other guy. Tumble weed blows by. The wind stirs the dust. The camera moves up and you see fingers twitching, getting ready to draw. You know that it is only a few moments until the good guy lets the bad guy have it and he’ll be on his way to saving the day and setting the town free again. All that stands in his way is this one obstacle. But that obstacle must be put away. 

What would you do in that situation? Would you save the day and proceed to victory, or would you run and hide? Running and hiding is tempting when you see the guy all dressed in black, symbolizing your impending doom! .

Isn’t that what happens regularly though? Our journey to success always has these “Showdowns” that we have to go through if we are going to get there. There are always going to be “bad guys” we have to get through. .

Let’s take a look at a few:

Fear. Fear is the pre-imminent “bad guy.” He keeps millions of people from success. Here is a secret: There are times when I am stretching myself to achieve all that I can, when I am taking huge risks, that I wake up in the middle of the night and I am so scared I can’t sleep! Fear will tell you anything to keep you from even trying! But do you know what takes care of fear? Persistence. You see, everybody has fear. The most successful people I know have fear. But they work through it rather than give up! To be successful you have to have and win that showdown with fear. .

Crowd mentality. I have become increasingly aware of this in recent years. The crowd is loud. They are tenacious in letting you know that they expect you to do things their way or something is just not right. You know, it is the relative who calls you a dreamer. It is the naysayers. They want you to do what is normal. Well friend, nobody ever got successful doing what the crowd does. The crowd is average, that’s why they’re the crowd! To be successful you have to have that showdown with the calling of the crowd. Hear their voices screaming, “Don’t do that. Be like us,” and win the showdown. .

Doubt. Success usually takes a while. It rarely comes overnight. And after some time, you will begin to doubt. “Am I dreaming too big?” “Did I take a dumb risk?” “Should I quit and go back to something safe?” Rest assured, it will come. But this is when your vision must be string and you must keep going. Stick with the dream. Don’t give up! Overcome your doubt and the doubts of others! To be successful you must have that showdown with doubt and win! .

Yes, there will be many showdowns. The above are but a few, though they are the major ones. Maybe you are experiencing them even now. Your time has come. The old western music is playing. Your foe dressed in black grins that devilish grin. He thinks you can’t do it. But have your showdown. Win. Then ride off into the sunset! .

It’s time to draw pardner! Take aim and win your showdowns.

Chris Widener, is a successful businessman, author, speaker and television host. He has authored over 450 articles and nine books, including a New York Times and Wall Street Journal Best-seller. He has produced over 85 CDs and DVDs on leadership, motivation and success.