Eric had the house plans in hand. Actually, they were spread across his kitchen table, where he had spent hours going over them to make sure he was ready to proceed with the project. There was a lot of planning that went into building a house, and he found himself a little overwhelmed. Poor planning would result in down time and project delays—the trades would be waiting for one thing to be completed before taking over. Keeping the project moving at a consistent and steady pace was part of Eric's job.

The excavators were breaking ground in two weeks, and Eric was lining up his subcontractors. They'd need plumbers and pipefitters, electricians, masons and bricklayers, roofers, drywallers, and carpenters … and that was before the flooring could be installed and the painters could move in. And Eric had to coordinate every step of the process.

In addition to keeping the project moving smoothly, Eric had to make sure the supplies got to the construction site by the time the trades were ready for them. On top of that, he had to make sure they were all paid.

Caught up in the excitement of overseeing this construction, Eric hadn't considered the fact that he would assume so much responsibility. If anything went wrong, it could affect his reputation among his peers in the industry and with homeowners. He suddenly got a case of the “What‐ifs?” What if the weather didn't cooperate? What if there were delays due to poor scheduling? What if materials weren't delivered when needed? What if his subcontractors weren't reliable?

What if I fail?

Walking away from the table, he picked up the phone, hoping his friend Carl was available.

Carl answered on the second ring and listened patiently while Eric explained his predicament.

“I thought I was confident, but I guess I'm not.”

“Oh, you are confident. You know you are detailed and follow through. You knew you were ready to take your business to the next level. Confidence isn't your problem, Eric. You're being pessimistic—thinking that whatever can go wrong will go wrong. Being an optimist is a necessary characteristic for success, son. I was actually saving that token for later, but it seems like you need it now. I'll put it in the mail to you, along with the next token that I think will come in handy.”

“Optimistic?”

“Yes, believe me, every entrepreneur will attest to the fact that without optimism, you will never know what you can do. In fact, you won't even try.”

“But how do I become more optimistic?”

“Do your homework, son. You'll figure it out. And when you do, let me know.”

Eric hung up the phone more confused than before. What kind of homework or research could he do to learn more about being optimistic?

Then it dawned on him. Grabbing his truck keys, he drove across town to talk to the one person who would have the answer. She always did.

“Hi, Mom!” he yelled as he walked through the kitchen door.

“Oh, Eric! It's so good to see you,” she said after giving him a big hug. “Are you hungry?”

Good old mom, always ready to make sure her boys were properly fed.

“Well, actually, I could use some home cooking. Got enough for me to stay for supper?”

“Always. Now, what brings you by? You're so busy working on the cabin we don't see you much anymore … and your dad told me that you're going to be building a new house for Kevin's in‐laws. I'm proud of you.”

“Well, thanks. But that's one reason I stopped by. Do you remember when I was a kid and hated doing my homework?” Eric asked.

“Boy, do I. You hated science so much that you wouldn't even try it. You used to argue that you were going to get it wrong, anyway, so what was the use?” she replied.

“Do you remember what I used to tell you, Eric?” she asked then, pausing for his answer.

“Whether you think can or you think you can't, you're right,” he spouted from memory.

“It's true. If you don't think you can do something, you're not going to try very hard. But when you think you can do something, it's not so tough and you jump right in and get it done.”

“So it's all in my mind,” Eric mused.

“It's just like when you had to learn to tie your shoes before you went to kindergarten. Oh, how we struggled. And every time, after a couple tries, you'd give up. But when push came to shove, you had to decide what was most important to you—going to kindergarten or refusing to learn how to tie your shoelaces.”

“I remember! I remember how happy I was when I finally got it right.”

“Oh, if I had a dime for every time you told me you couldn't do it … and another dime for every time I told you that you could do it. You just had to try.”

“Yes! And, Mom, I remember how you got me to learn. It seemed so complicated and confusing, but you told me that I could accomplish anything if I just broke it down into steps. So we practiced the bunny ears and loops over and over.”

“The same was true for homework—remember how I always told you to do the hardest subject first, then the rest would be easy? So I made you do your science work first.”

“I wish everything was so simple now,” Eric sighed. “You see, I'm getting a little scared about assuming the responsibilities of a general contractor. There are so many things that can go wrong. And what if I find that I can't do it, after all?”

“Worrying is the biggest time killer there is. Eric, 99% of the things we worry about don't happen. You're being a pessimist, like your Uncle Rick. He always believed if anything could go wrong, it would. I swear that's why he never amounted to anything—he knew without a doubt that he wouldn't succeed, so he didn't even bother.”

His mom poured him a glass of iced tea, then pointed at it.

“Eric, is this glass half full or half empty?”

“Ummm, both,” he grinned, getting where she was going with this.

“Seriously, son, look at your business like this glass. Imagine you are Uncle Rick. You wouldn't even try to build your business because you'd be certain you'd fail. The glass is half empty and you think you're heading toward doom before you even get started. Right?”

“Right,” Eric nodded.

“And if that happens, you'll never really know if you have what it takes. Pessimists fail to try, but here's the thing about optimists—they can be realistic and plan for challenges along the way, but they get excited about the opportunities and potential ahead. They don't say, "What if I fail?"—they know that they have what it takes. Their glass is already half full, and it's up to them to add successes one by one to fill it to the brim.”

Eric smiled, knowing that he'd come to the right person. His mom had always been able to get him to see the sunny side of things.

“Thanks, Mom. I knew I could count on you. I just have one question though. Do you think I'm ready? Do you think I can do this and succeed?”

“Eric, as your mom, I will always believe in you. But this time, what I think doesn't count. What do you think? Do you think you can, or do you think you can't? Either way, you'll be right.”

“Well, I know that I'll always regret it if I don't try.”

‘That's my boy,” she said, leaning over to kiss his forehead. “Now, just do the hardest part first …”

“And the rest will come easy,” Eric finished for her.

“So, what's the hardest part? Maybe I can help,” she offered.

“I guess I got overwhelmed just planning the whole thing … and thinking about payroll. It's a big responsibility, and I haven't done it before,” Eric admitted.

“That's what you'll tackle first. So put your payroll money aside in a business account so you won't touch it. Your grandpa used to do that—he had different accounts for different things. Then, lay out a plan, but don't panic if something changes … that's going to happen no matter what you do. Plans can change, sometimes for the better. Don't building plans change from time to time?”

“Sure they do—a lot.”

“What do you do when that happens?”

“I go with the flow and adjust.”

“So that's just you'll do if you have to change your plan—go with the flow and adjust. As the general contractor, people are going to be looking to you for guidance and reassurance. When you're optimistic that it will work out, they will be, too. Oh and here's the bonus—once you're established and you're business is steady, you can hire people to do the things that you don't like to do!”

“I like your attitude, Mom. When you're optimistic that everything will be fine, you make me feel that way, too,” Eric smiled.

“That's good. Now, why don't you go see what your father is doing in the garage and let him know dinner will be ready in a few minutes,” she replied.

* * *

When Eric returned to the cabin, he looked at the house plans once again. Just a short while ago, he didn't have any work lined up, and now here he was with the biggest project he'd ever been trusted with.

His glass was half full, and he fully intended to focus on what he could do—not what he was afraid he couldn't do.

Nothing had changed, except his attitude. Funny how that works, he thought. His grandfather had always told him he could do anything he set his mind to, but he suddenly remember that he'd always finished it with one phrase, “The only person who can stop you from succeeding is you.”

For the first time, he truly understood his grandfather's words, which reminded him—he needed to thank Carl for passing along some much‐needed wisdom when it was needed the most.