The Missing Ingredient

What keeps a person’s head on straight when they experience set-backs? Repeated kicks in the face? What makes that person continue? The cleaning solution Formula 409 is called 409 because it took the inventors four hundred and nine tries to get the formula right. Four hundred and eight failed attempts. Four HUNDRED and eight. Talk about belief! Those brothers had it by the truckloads! Good grief! I’ve heard, “If at first you don’t succeed; try, try again,” but who tries four hundred and eight times? I mean, seriously? Who does that? Not many, but they did. They tried, they tried, and then they tried some more because they truly believed they were on to something. Today “409” is a household name because a group of brothers refused to give up. I don’t know about four hundred and eight failed attempts, but I do know that it’s tough to get up and clean yourself off once you’ve been drug through the mud. It’s even tougher to get back on course to the finish line. I don’t believe there’s anyone that would argue that point. The question I’m asking is, “What is that ‘thing’ that an individual needs to not only get up, but to also get back on course?” What’s it take? Clearly not everyone has it or at least not everyone is willing to exercise it. What is it and why isn’t it sold in stores? I think if it were in pill form it’d sell off the shelves in the blink of an eye. Everyone wants it. Everyone wants to be like the 409 brothers, like Colonel Sanders, like Tyler Perry. Everyone wants to have a story to tell. Everyone would love to tell their kids and grandkids about how they fought their way to the top. But most never will. Most will never tell such tales to their loved ones because most will run and hide when they get their first slap in the face. Why are they running? Why are they hiding? What are they missing? What don’t they have that the select few seem to have too much of? What is the missing ingredient? If I knew that my four hundred and ninth attempt would be the winner, I would do everything in my power to get through the four hundred and eight failures – wouldn’t you? You already know that once you hit 4-0-9 you’ve hit gold, so just get through the rubbish as fast as you can! But don’t you see? The brothers had no idea how many failed formulas it would take. Colonel Sanders had no idea how many doors he’d have to knock on before someone was willing to buy his secret recipe. And Tyler Perry certainly didn’t know he’d have to be homeless before he was able to own a mansion. They had no idea. WE have no idea. None of us know how far away the finish line is or what set-backs we’ll have to go through before getting there. But the one thing they all had that most lack is faith. Believing without seeing. That’s the key. That’s the missing ingredient. If there is anything you want to accomplish, any goal you’re trying to reach, I’m gonna tell you right now, it won’t get done without faith. You can mark my word on that one.

My name is Jasmynne Shaye, and this is me STEPPING ON A FEW TOES.