The vision of most people who take on the role of leadership is to be charismatic, but life can sometimes be mysterious, rewarding some who do not seem worthy and keeping others who have what it takes out of the winner’s circle. This problem, however, is totally within your control.

Certainly, if life is fair, the ill-natured, unsociable, unprincipled person who is known to be ignorant, lazy and shiftless will be a failure in life because he is so dis-qualified to succeed.

On the other hand, the good-natured, intelligent, reliable person, like you, who continually wins friends and is known for your ethics, principles, kindness, and work ethic, should be a model of success. If anyone deserves to be a winner in life, it’s you. Yet, life sometimes appears to be fickle and irrational in bestowing its awards.

When a worthy person does not succeed, he loses out because he lacks an essential positive factor of certain success—the ability to sell his capabilities. By mastering the selling process, this failure can turn him into a success; the success he so honestly deserves.

Millions of worthy people, with many positive attributes, have failed solely because their merits were not appreciated and rewarded. If their good points had been noted, the outcome would have been different. Capabilities, like goods or products, are profitless until they are sold. Therefore, if you want to have others see the good in you, you must promote, endorse and "sell" yourself. This ability to have others see the real you, the accomplished leader within, will transform those potential powers into actual accomplishments.

Is there a voice in your head saying, "I know all that. I just haven’t had the opportunity to show how effective a leader I can be." The truth is that opportunity is a constant companion to each of us. We are all rich in ability: honesty, intelligence, energy and desire to succeed are qualities others are looking for in a leader. The outcry is not which person should I be connected to, but where are the honest, intelligent, energetic leaders for me to follow. Certainly, every necessary characteristic of the successful leader is latent within your nature and can be brought to life by personal development and belief in yourself. You have not yet done your best with the best that is in you.

How do you begin to do your best? First, resolve to acknowledge that you are a person with the character traits of someone with the extraordinary ability to influence others. Second, be confident in the knowledge that there are people who are looking for someone just like you and will be part of your team when you have brought out the best in yourself.

Look around. Do you see highly prosperous people with no more innate ability and talent than you have? Certainly, the market for your particular talents and leadership style is out there. Golden opportunities, opportunities that you’ve let slip by, surround you and touch you daily. If you have not grasped your chance, perhaps it was because you did not know how to demonstrate the strength and potential within you.

You have failed to reach your potential as a visionary, charismatic leader simply because you have been unsuccessful as a salesman of yourself to the world.

Only one per cent of the people in the U.S. call themselves salesmen or saleswomen. Ironically, in order to succeed, each of us must sell our particular qualifications. Selling yourself as a leader is essential to assure your success in life.

The best commercial executives agree that the most effective leader may not be the "natural born" leader, but the person who is made highly efficient and effective by self-discovery and self-development. That’s great news; don’t you agree? With the potential within and the tools available, nothing can stop you from becoming the person others look to for success: the successful leader who will help them discover their hidden talents.

Eleanor Roosevelt said, "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of the dream." Your future as a successful leader is no dream; it is no illusion; it is the destiny you were meant to fulfill. Believe in this destiny and let others see what you’ve always known about yourself.