I seemed destined to a life of marketing and sales – which is quite interesting when you know the “rest of the story” as Paul Harvey has said many times. From early childhood I had a speech impediment. I stuttered. My problem made talking difficult and understanding what I was saying almost impossible at times. My “disability” was very, very bad. I entered speech therapy in the first grade and although I continued with it for many years it didn’t help. Finally, when I was a freshman in high school I pulled the plug on speech therapy.

As a result of my speech problem I was often the brunt of jokes. I was called names and made fun of by my peers. In high school I might be walking down a hall and someone would say, “Stutterin Don, how’s it going?” Adults tolerated me and often tried to finish my sentences when I couldn’t get the words out – much to my frustration and annoyance

In 1967 I tried to enlist in the Army but I was rejected because my speech impediment was so severe. This was during the height of the Viet Nam War and they were taking almost every young man with a normally beating heart. I was classified 1-Y, just one step above the worst classification – 4-F.

Soon after my Army rejection I married my wife, Becky, and we had a large church wedding. I didn’t want to repeat my vows because I didn’t want everyone hearing me make a mess of things. However, since the vows are the central part of a wedding ceremony I couldn’t avoid saying them. When it was my turn to repeat our vows, I just mumbled some sounds so the preacher could hear something.

As hard as my speech impediment was to endure, I determined not to let it, or other people’s reaction to it, stand in the way of my dreams. I decided I was in charge of my life, not those who poked fun or ridiculed me. My success, if any, was up to me.

In 1970 my dream was to “get rich,” or at least my version of it. I contacted the brother-in-law of a friend of mine who had a direct sales company selling fire alarms “door to door.” My friend told me about all the money his bother-in-law was making and I knew he drove a new El Dorado, wore great cloths, had a nice house, and owned a lot of real estate. That was right down my alley.

I wrote him a letter expressing my desire to go to work for him. I wrote rather than call because I didn’t want him to know of my speech impediment. He later told me he already knew about my speech impediment and hired me as a result of it. He said the fact that I wanted to succeed overrode any “handicap” I had. I believed him, took some sales training (principles I still use today), and started knocking on doors.

Picture the scene: an awkward looking 130 pound kid who can barely communicate is knocking on cold doors trying to get the person inside to purchase an expensive product. Looking back, I must have been laughable.

Today it’s very difficult to tell that I ever had a speech problem. I cannot put my finger on any one thing that was the genesis of my transformation but today I speak frequently and persuasively to all sizes of groups. I own several companies which enjoy incomes in the millions of dollars. I lead a very successful real estate investment club and ran for a seat on our County Commission as well as a run at the State Senate.

The story is not that I had a speech problem. The story is I had a speech problem, so what? The fact is, all of us have a “handicap.” Some handicaps can be seen. But the most destructive handicaps are those that can not be seen – the mental stumbling blocks that lead to mediocrity and failure.

So what if you were born into poverty? So what if your dad left when you were a baby. So what if everybody thinks you’re not too bright? So what if you think you look funny (or sound funny like me)? So what if you didn’t go to college? So what if you’ve faced some real life changing tragedy? So what? You have the choice between success and failure. It’s your choice and it depends to a large degree on your mindset. Get in life’s game and take a swing

One of the greatest hitters in baseball history is Mickey Mantle. Mickey is remembered as a great home run slugger, but did you know he struck out more than 1,750 times? In addition, he walked to first base more than 1,750 times. In other words, there were more than 3,500 times he went to home plate and didn’t hit the ball. That is the equivalent of seven full seasons he never had a base hit!

Here’s the lesson in the form of a question: If you never get up to bat, how are you going to hit a home run? Furthermore, it’s not the misses that count, it’s the hits. Learn from your misses but focus on your hits.

But, there’s more! Although Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth’s home run record, the “Babe” still has some interesting stats. One is the best percentage of home runs per ‘at bat.” Every eleventh time Babe Ruth came to the plate he hit a home run. How many of you feel good going 1 for 11? We often think we have to bat 1000 (the baseball way of saying we are perfect). We expect to hit perfectly all the time and get discouraged if we fail to hit 100 for 100 in our business ventures or personal lives.

If you are a major league baseball player and had a batting average of .300 you would be paid several million dollars each year. Think about that! That’s 30 for 100, or 3 for 10. The fact is, very few professional baseball players enjoy a batting average that high yet you think you have to reach perfection all the time and hit 1000.

The key mindset of the successful is that they have a positive expectancy of success and they are tenacious with their goal setting and planning. I think the important thing to these individuals is the effort they expend and the journey they take. If you never go to bat, or if you never get in the ball game, you will never get a hit.

You have a choice. You can live life on purpose, or you can live it by chance. It’s up to you. Get in the batter’s box and strike out a few times. It’s okay. Never fear failure.

When I make a mistake I increase my awareness and improve my performance. I refuse to relegate my disappointments and failures to the back of the bus and purposefully move them up front where I can deal with them, work out the kinks, make adjustments and get back on track toward success. I turn my mistakes into stepping stones toward my goal. I figure if didn’t make a mistake yesterday, I didn’t’ learn much.

Success or failure is up to you. If you want to be a success and overcome the invisible handicaps that are detrimental to that success, you need to know that you can do it if you think you can.

Here’s how you can do it:

1. Decide what it is you want to do and carve out a niche for yourself.
If you try to be all things to all people the deck is stacked against you. You have to find a unique position for you.

2. Set some measurable goals.
You need both long term and short term measurable goals. Write these goals out on paper. Until you write them down, they simply do not exist.

3. Define how you will attain those goals.
After you write down your goals, determine how you will achieve them. Write a step-by-step plan. Create a road map that clearly defines how you are going to reach your destination

4. Work your plan.
As you do the daily activity it takes to accomplish your goals, focus on that activity rather than the goal. If your goal is to purchase one rehab property each month, focus on the activity that will result in that one purchase.

5. Make adjustments as needed.
You will make mistakes and experience failure from time to time. When this happens, do some soul-searching. Determine where you went wrong and readjust your approach but do not allow yourself to become distracted from achieving your goals.

6. As you work your plan, start thinking about ways to give to others.
If you cannot give away your money, it owns you. If you do not give yourself and your money to others, you will become self-focused and shallow. Contentment will always elude you.

7. Be a mentor to others.
There are millions of people who would like to be where you are. Take one or two along for the ride with you. Teach them what you have learned.

The question you are now faced with is crucial. What are you going to do with this information? Will you be inspired to get in the batter’s box and take a swing? Or, will you sit in the bleachers and play the role of a spectator? It’s up to you. My advice is to swing away. Strike out, make some adjustments – most of all enjoy the ride. Life can and should be a thrilling experience, but it’s up to you to make it happen.

Batter up!