Whether we like to admit it or not, other people's opinions of us really do matter. The opinions we have of ourselves, matters even more. Think about this for a minute. What separates the haves from the have-nots? Nothing, but your own fear and insecurities.

It has been said many times that "Americans love a winner" and that nobody remembers who came in second. The truth is like the joke that goes; this guy was praying to God everyday to win the lottery. After weeks and weeks of prayer the guy asked God why his prayers were going unanswered. God replied; you need to at least meet Me halfway and buy a ticket!

Wishing doesn't always make it so ? not without applied effort. You need to take a gamble on yourself, a leap of faith if you will, and you will learn that the only difference between the haves and the have-nots is the overcoming and mastering of these fears.

Nothing comes your way without effort. I'm from the old school of thought that also teaches that if you didn't earn it, it won't mean as much to you as if you did. Expect the same in business. It may take you several attempts before you find just the right combinations of things that work for you. Just because the first couple or so didn't work out mean that you're a loser it means you're a do'er, someone who's willing to go out on a limb, someone who's confident in there ability to stand and deliver when things may rise up against you.

These are the real winners ? not because they necessarily succeed but because they tried.

Sometimes when starting a new business or venture everyone, at one time or another, will have their fair share of "nay sayers" Just don't you be one of them! It would be all too easy to say I can't do this and I can't do that, but why?

Don't ever give up or cave in to outside pressures or you will always be asking yourself "what if" and "I wonder". No one ever looses who honestly tries. If you have a dream or vision for yourself, you owe it to yourself to a least try. In my experience most of the people I know who have been the "nay sayers" are those who have settled for second best or have given up altogether.

Today I want to start my own internet company and compete with the Fortune 100 company's! Pretty simple statement right? You bet! Why not? Realistically, what do we need? While these examples are but the tip of the iceberg, they're a good place to start;

? Desire
? Ambition
? Drive
? A willingness to succeed
? The ability to see loss as a stepping stone to success

Internet businesses are great places for people to latch onto their piece of a dream and the only place I know of where you can compete with corporate America equally everyday.

The only thing that can get in your way from realizing the dream is YOU coupled with your uncanny ability to shoot yourself in the foot. We have no enemies in business but ourselves and those nasty little voices we carry around that tell us we're failures.

I don't make a practice of using quotes but I stumbled across this one and I found it highly appropriate. The late great football coach Vince Lombardy was asked by a sport reporter about a loss his team had just suffered. The Coach replied; "we didn't lose, we just ran out of time"

Tell yourself something long enough and you begin to believe it. Have other people tell you something long enough you'll not only believe it, but you'll magnify it as well! You do not have to know everything there is to know. Surround yourself with those who can bring to the table an asset that your business needs and one that you do not posses. This worked for Andrew Carnegie and will work equally well for you.

Failure and defeat provide the fire we need to forge our will to achieve success. So rather then let defeat beat us down or call us a loser, embrace it, welcome it as a teacher and then move on never forgetting the lesson learned.

You are only a loser if you believe you're as loser.

Chas Brothers is a Home Based Business Owner, Motivational Writer, and an Independent SFI Marketing Representative and may be reached at; http://work-from-home-make-extra-income.com , http://work-from-home-exchange.com or brothec@msn.com