This is Your Biggest Obstacle to Success. Defeat It.

Let me first say I'm from Philadelphia so anything that has to do with the City of Brotherly Love gets a star in my book. 

Even though the baseball team, the Phillies, are pretty much going nowhere (neither are the Eagles), one hero has remained from Philly: Rocky Balboa. 

A few months ago, I watched Creed. The movie didn't disappoint. Sylvester Stallone didn't disappoint. And watching the film, as hokey as it can sometimes be with its good vs. bad narrative, is about as good a motivational tool as any TED Talk/Tony Robbins speech combined.

Here's what I'm talking about. There's one scene where Rocky brings Adonis, Creed's illegitimate son, to a mirror at the gym. He says quietly: "See the guy right there? That's your toughest opponent. I believe that in boxing, and I believe that in life."

Rocky leaves the fighter to mirror box himself. If he can defeat his toughest opponent, he can beat pretty much everybody else.

Now ask yourself:

How many mornings do you wake up doubting yourself?

How many times do you tell yourself no before someone else does?

How many times do you let others form an opinion about your abilities rather believing in yourself? 

(Watch Gary Garrabrant, former partner to billionaire real estate titan Sam Zell, advise me on how to conquer the fear of failure.) 

People are amazingly complex creatures and why some people fail while others succeed is something I'm constantly exploring through writing, researching, and interviewing. There isn't one path to riches and success but there are a few constants. And one of them is an unfailing belief in yourself and a determination to quiet the demons inside.

Your priority for the rest of this year is to be aware of those demons and to hold them back. The only person who can defeat you is you. You won't succeed every time with a knockout, but as in boxing, it's the record that counts. Make that record count. You still have time.