o you remember the story of the Little Engine that could? You know the story...a little train that no one thought could make it over the hill? He wasn't as big or fast as the other trains, but he fooled everyone, simply by convincing himself that he could get up that hill. He just kept repeating, "I think I can. I think I can," and guess what? He made it over the hill.

It may be a simple story, but there's a real lesson in it. Perseverance and belief in your own abilities, when all signs point in the opposite direction, can help in overcoming many obstacles.

Sometimes, the only thing keeping us from success is our attitude. How would you characterize yours?

In Petaluma, a small city in northern California, a group of seven junior high school students have achieved what many believed they could not. This city, with a population of about 50,000, had no movie theater.

The theaters that had once been there moved or shut their doors. For more than two years a trip to the movies meant a drive of at least 15 miles.

Several local teenage girls started talking about the lack of a movie theater in town. They dubbed themselves the "Superb Seven" and set out on a journey to bring the movies back to their home town. They didn't know they couldn't make this happen, so there was no reason to hesitate.

The group sought advice from friends and families. They learned how to prepare a business plan and how to do a cost/benefit analysis.

Meanwhile, developers and politicians were getting exactly nowhere with their attempts to open new movie theaters-if these influential people couldn't get anything done, certainly these teenagers didn't stand a chance.

The local paper ran a piece on the girls and their mission; still, many people in town had little faith in what they were capable of. Time passed and the girls quietly worked behind the scenes gathering support from individuals and organizations in the community.

They made presentations to banks, developers and politicians. They contacted experts-even some from Lucasfilms, Ltd., the film production company that is located a few miles down the road from this city.

With public interest in their mission waning, the girls arranged a screening of George Lucas' film, "American Graffiti," which he had filmed in Petaluma many years ago. Because there were no theaters, the movie was projected on the side of a downtown building.

People began to believe that maybe these girls could accomplish the impossible. Perhaps movies would return to town.

Then the unthinkable happened-a developer joined their cause. The city council approved a plan and, thirteen months after the Superb Seven took on a task no one believed they could achieve, construction began on a new 12-screen theater complex.

The theaters are one part of an overall new "theater district," a project designed to bring entertainment dollars back to Petaluma and enrich the lives of all of its citizens.

So why were these teenagers able to accomplish what others couldn't, even though they had no experience or knowledge? How can some people make everything they do look so easy? Why do some of us struggle and work so hard for every success?

Perhaps part of the secret is that the girls didn't know they couldn't do it. They paid attention to the people who told them they could and ignored the ones who said they couldn't. They started their project believing it was possible.

Are you struggling? Is cold calling just too hard? Do you believe you 'can,' or is the word 'impossible' creeping into your thoughts?

Approach every new prospect with a positive attitude and see each new sale as a fresh slate. Never use the word 'can't.' Replace it with the word 'can.'

If a goal seems too out of reach and you get discouraged, look at what inspired you to start this project in the first place. You must have believed the outcome would be positive-why else would you begin something?

Keep telling yourself, "I think I can. I think I can." You'll get much farther if you don't know you can't.

Aerodynamics tells us that it is impossible for the bumblebee to fly. I guess no one ever told the bee.