This quote has become a staple of mine and is central to my philosophy and one I share with all my clients.
Many people claim they have unconquerable challenges that hold them back from them achieving their goals.
A story that illustrates just what people are capable of overcoming is that of Temüjin. Temüjin was born in 1206 to a noble family.
His life was changed forever when he was nine, his father was poisoned and killed leaving him, his mother and his many siblings destitute.
They grew up in poverty surviving in the harsh conditions of the Mongol Steppe scavenging for whatever food they could find.
Years later as he approached adulthood he was captured and enslaved by former allies of his father, he was held in bondage but later escaped earning himself a reputation for cunning and bravery.
Not long after that he was married to his first wife Borte, their marriage had been arranged many years before by his father and he was now old enough to take a wife.
Soon disaster struck however and a rival clan kidnapped Borte and held her captive for some time. Temüjin managed to rescue his beloved but found she was now pregnant with a child of one of her captives.
Many great leaders from history were given a large army due to their noble birth, Temüjin however built his from the ground up with just his leadership, courage and vision.
Years later he would unite the scattered tribes of the Steppe under his banner, he would then be given the new name of Genghis Khan (Chinggis Khan).
Khan would go on to create the largest land based empire the world has ever seen, his grandson Kublai Khan would ascend to the throne as Emperor of China.
His military strategies are studied to this day, the attack patterns of his army was copied by helicopter commanders, some his generals became known as some of the most gifted in history.
The Great Khan was a fearsome man and was born from his environment, it might be said that he was not a good man but great men seldom are. Most people would have been crushed by his early life experiences, he managed to step over all that through sheer force of will.
If we focus on the obstacles in our way they will become like mountains to us, massive, immovable and impassable.
We must focus on the outcome we seek and step over impediments or fail in the attempt.
If you had the mentality of Temüjin just what would you be capable of?