When I was 10 years old, I saw the Olympics on TV for the first time. Right away, I knew that’s what I wanted to do. These are people who have a dream and are willing to train for years with no guarantee of success.

People ask me, “What does it feel like to hurl yourself down an icy chute at 90 miles an hour? Is it scary?” Yes, it’s scary. The luge track starts 50 stories up the mountain. You slide down on a little sled and a couple of steel runners. You hit speeds of 140 kilometers per hour. You have no brakes. You know what could happen: broken bones, concussion, dislocations and worse.

You take the run. You are scared to death. On some of the curves, you are hitting up to 6 G’s. You cross the finish line. How are you going to stop? You have no brakes. You grab the front of the sled and dig your heels in. You slow down and 200 meters later come to a stop. About 5 seconds after stepping off the sled the adrenaline rush hits you. You want to quit because the fear is that strong.

I pick up a walkie-talkie. I’m still shaking. “Coach, this is Ruben.” “Ruben, you must put your head farther back. Point your feet more, and you must steer harder. And, Ruben, relax.” How am I going to relax when I’m scared half to death?

Finally, the belief comes in. I say to myself, I will get back on that track. And I did. I never would have made it to the Olympics without my coach.

You are going to have a bad day once in a while. You’re going to have a bad week. You’re going to have a bad month. You’re going to have a bad year. I have.

Life is a series of storms. When you’re going through life’s storms, don’t try to figure it out on your own because, if you do, you’ll always take the easy way out and regret it later.

Rather, do what I did. Pick up that walkie-talkie. Pick up the phone. Call your best friend. Call your husband, your wife, your mentor, somebody who believes in you and loves you and who will help you get back on track. Because if you quit on your dream, you’ll regret it all your life.

Success is simple, but it’s not easy. It comes down to finding a goal you are passionate about and using your talent and your strengths to chase after it, refusing to quit and being willing to do whatever it takes for as long as it takes to get the job done. Success is a decision that you will not quit, that you will do whatever it takes.

I am not a great athlete, but I had a dream. I surrounded myself with people who kept me in the game long enough for me to learn some skills, and I used those skills to reach the dream. That’s something anybody can do. You have to have the courage to get started and the courage to not quit. The courage to get started comes from believing it’s possible. The courage to not quit comes from your desire. If you want something badly enough, nothing will make you quit.

Associate with people you have respect for because you become like them and pick up their habits. Successful people think big. They always focus on the dream and ask questions like “Why not me? Why not now?”

When I was 21 years old, I said, “I have to find a sport and be in the Olympics. My strength is not athleticism. My strength is perseverance.” So I picked the luge.

I went to Lake Placid, New York. At first the man said, “You’re too old.” I wouldn’t take no for an answer. Finally, he said, “OK, come on down. But it’ll be brutal. Nine out of 10 people quit this sport.” I said, “What else?” He said, “Expect to break some bones.” I said, “Great.”

They put me in a class with 15 other guys. The first two years, I was crashing four out of five times. But I kept at it, and after a while I was crashing three out of five. By the end of the second year, I was crashing about one out of 100. By then there was no competition left because they all quit.

After two years, I had to compete in the World Cup circuit against the best in the world. I was a beginner with all these world and Olympic champions. I thought, I don’t belong here.

I focused on getting World Cup points. Every time you finish a race, they give you points. At the end of the season, there is a world ranking, and the Top 50 go to the Olympics. With a couple of weeks before the 1988 Calgary Olympics, I broke into the Top 50 in the world.

Follow your heart, follow your mentors, refuse to quit and you can do it. Even before my first Olympics, I could see myself walking to the opening ceremonies and all the people cheering. It was so exciting.

The mind can’t tell the difference between something you vividly imagine and something that is actually happening. What’s it going to feel like? What’s it going to be like when I finally reach my dream? You get strong inside. All of a sudden, you have confidence.

What you say to yourself is important. When I was ready to quit, I would force myself to think, I can do it. I’m a winner. I’m never quitting. I can do it. I will be an Olympian.

It’s a science. Tell yourself, I can do it; I’m a winner. Those are very powerful words. Say it in front of a mirror. You will start getting confident and strong. The belief comes in, and the doubt leaves.

What you say determines what you think. What you think determines what you do. What you do all the time becomes your habits. Your habits determine your results. It all starts with self-talk: I can do it. I’m a winner.

Find somebody who’s already done what you want to do. Successful people like to help other people. And as long as you are willing to do what they say, then you are actually helping them.

Success is not the gold medal. Success is the silver medal. You know what the gold medal is? Significance. Significance means you made a difference in somebody else’s life. When you do that, it fills that hole in your heart, and that’s the gold medal. When you ask a mentor for help, you are helping the mentor get the gold medal, and the mentor is helping you get the silver medal.

Watch your self-talk, visualize, and picture what it’s going to be like. Think about the worst thing that can happen and how you are going to handle it. And if you don’t know, ask your mentor.

What are the chances somebody like me can make it to the Olympics? I wasn’t a great athlete. I didn’t start until I was 21. I had a dream, I followed my coaches, I refuse to quit, and I worked my tail off.

What are the chances that you can make this your best year ever? It’s not one in a million. It’s inevitable. As long as you’re willing to do the work, and if you have the desire to follow those mentors and refuse to quit, this could be your best year. The champions of tomorrow are being forged today. So, the next time you’re having a bad day, remember that guy who got to go to the Olympics. Because if I can do that, you can do anything.

Ruben Gonzalez is a four-time Olympian and internationally recognized expert on developing mental toughness. A seemingly “ordinary guy,” he didn’t take up the sport of luge until he was 21. Against all odds, four years later he was competing in the Winter Olympics. At the age of 47, he was racing against 20-year-olds in the Vancouver Winter Olympics. A master storyteller, Gonzalez uses his Olympic experiences to inspire audiences to think differently, live life with passion and have the courage to take the necessary steps toward their goals.