“What keeps me going are goals...it's a lack of faith that makes people afraid to take on challenges, and I believed in myself” (Ali). Muhammad Ali proves an excellent point about faith and self-confidence. To me, these are not the only things that are important to achieving your life goals. Hope, strength and endurance are also essential to move forward in life. Mental strength is just as important as physical strength. Indeed, “strength does not come from physical ability. It comes from an indomitable will” (Gandhi). Given this, it takes a smart person to know when it's time to let go of the past and learn from your mistakes. Dwelling in the past will not move you forward in life. Excuses are just intellectualizations that make a person feel better about themselves for not doing something they need to do (Fern). The only way to move forward is to have a determined mind. It takes a strong will to tell yourself that something is wrong and that you need to change. You are not able to control every event that happens to you ...