What I've learned in these 11 years is you just got to stay
What I've learned in these 11 years is you just got to stay focused and believe in yourself and trust your own ability and judgment.
“What I’ve learned in these 11 years is you just got to stay focused and believe in yourself and trust your own ability and judgment.” Thus spoke Mark Cuban, a man who walked the long road from struggle to triumph, from selling software door to door to standing as one of the most recognized voices of business. His words are not merely advice, but a distillation of battle-tested wisdom, earned in the arena of risk and resilience. They remind us that fortune bows not to luck alone, but to the unwavering pillars of focus, self-belief, and trust in one’s own mind.
The first stone of his teaching is focus. The world is filled with distractions, temptations, and voices pulling the soul in a thousand directions. Many begin with fire, but their gaze wanders, and they are scattered like seeds upon the wind. Cuban warns that to endure through the storms, one must keep the eye fixed on the horizon, refusing to be swayed. Focus is the spear of achievement; without it, no thrust of effort strikes true. With it, even the mightiest barriers can be pierced.
But focus alone is not enough. Cuban declares the second truth: believe in yourself. For the greatest enemy is often not the critic outside, but the whisper within that says, “You cannot.” Doubt corrodes faster than failure. The giants of history—Galileo, Columbus, Marie Curie—were surrounded by doubters, yet they pressed forward because they carried belief within themselves like a torch in darkness. Without that flame, no step forward is possible. With it, even the longest journey can be endured.
The third truth is to trust your own ability and judgment. Advice may come from every side, but no counselor walks in your shoes, no sage bears your burdens. At the crucial moment, it is your hand that must strike, your decision that must be made. To hesitate, to lean only on the voices of others, is to betray your own strength. Consider Alexander the Great, who trusted his instinct in battle and crossed into Asia with a smaller army against the warnings of many. His judgment carried him to victory after victory, forging an empire remembered to this day.
Cuban’s words spring from his own life, for his early ventures were filled with rejection and failure. He was fired, doubted, and dismissed. But he stayed focused, carrying his vision with him. He believed in himself when few others did. And he trusted his judgment when others told him to quit. The companies he built and the fortune he achieved were not the gifts of luck, but the harvest of discipline and self-faith. His quote is not theory—it is testimony.
The lesson for us is clear: in your own path, do not scatter your strength upon distractions. Fix your gaze upon your purpose. When doubt whispers that you are not enough, silence it with the flame of belief. And when choices come, do not lean always upon the crowd, for the crowd does not carry your destiny. Listen, yes, but at last, trust yourself. For the one who cannot trust his own ability becomes a slave to the judgment of others.
Therefore, children of tomorrow, carry this teaching in your heart: focus, belief, and trust are the three companions that will walk with you through the desert of struggle. Guard them well, for they will not fail you. Be steadfast, be bold, be faithful to your own strength. For the world belongs not to the wavering or the doubtful, but to those who, like Cuban, keep their eyes fixed, their hearts steady, and their judgment trusted. And when you do so, you will find that the path you carve is one that no storm can erase.
D-Dieu -9A
Mark Cuban’s advice feels very empowering, but I wonder—what if you lack the confidence to trust your own judgment? How do you build that self-belief, especially if you’ve faced failures or doubts in the past? Is there a way to train yourself to be more confident and focused? Or does it come with experience and time? What steps can someone take to nurture that inner confidence when the world around them feels uncertain?
ANNGUYEN HOANG ANH NHAT
Cuban’s point about self-belief is something that resonates in any area of life. However, I’m curious about how this approach works when facing failure. If you keep trusting your judgment but encounter consistent setbacks, how do you avoid feeling discouraged or losing confidence? At what point do you need to reassess your approach, or do you just double down and keep pushing forward? How do you know when to stay the course versus changing your strategy?
KCDICH THUAT SAO KIM CUONG
Mark Cuban’s quote about trusting your ability and judgment is powerful, yet it brings up a question—how much of success is truly in your hands, and how much of it depends on timing or external factors? Can you trust your judgment entirely, or are there moments where trusting your gut might lead you astray? How do you differentiate between trusting yourself and stubbornly sticking to a path that’s no longer serving you well?
GLGa Lee
I like the idea that success comes from trusting yourself and staying focused. But it makes me think: how does one maintain focus when distractions or setbacks keep happening? It’s easy to lose momentum when things aren’t moving in the right direction. How do successful people, like Cuban, keep that drive even after 11 years of challenges? Is there a point where belief in yourself is no longer enough, and strategies or external resources become essential?
L134. Nguyen Thai Tuan lop 11a4
Cuban’s quote is a reminder of how important self-belief is in achieving long-term success. However, there’s something interesting to consider—can blind self-belief sometimes lead to overconfidence, especially in high-stakes situations? How do you find the balance between trusting your judgment and being open to feedback from others? It’s essential to trust yourself, but how do you know when to listen to others or change your approach?