Super Bowl XLIII hasn’t started yet, so I don’t know what’s going to happen. It remains to be seen whether the Arizona Cardinals will beat the odds to win their first Super Bowl, while stopping the Pittsburgh Steelers from their record sixth Super Bowl win.

Regardless, nobody expected the Cardinals to make it this far. Although they’re the oldest team in the NFL, they’d never made it to the Super Bowl. Before the season started, oddmakers listed their odds of making it to the Super Bowl at 50 to 1. But they did, becoming only the second team to ever do so with 7 losses.

They might win the Super Bowl tonight, and they might not. But even if they don’t, their strategy will eventually work. That’s because it’s the only way to do anything:

1. Set your goal.
2. Make a plan.
3. Execute your plan.
4a. If successful, proceed to step 5.
4b. If not successful, go back to step 2. Repeat as many times as necessary.
5. Achieve your goal.

This plan might not get you to your goal quickly, but it’s better than the alternative:

1. Set your goal.
2. Do whatever.
3. Give up on your goal.

Of course, other things factor into this, like desire, knowledge, and skill. But if you’re not willing to keep trying, the rest doesn’t matter.

• The Secret Of Indestructible Confidence
• 50 Famously Successful People Who Failed At First
• I’ll Get Around To It Someday
• The Bottle That Wouldn’t Open
• The Hidden Secret In Think And Grow Rich
• Persistence Isn’t Using The Same Tactics Over And Over
• Persistence: When To Give Up, When Not To