Real guts are nothing more than developing your inner voice to the point where it is louder and stronger than the voice of your fear.

Fear of failure and fear of the unknown are always defeated by faith. Having faith in yourself, in the process of change, and in the new direction that change sets will reveal your own inner core of steel.

You run a major risk when you assume that you alone have all the answers: You don't, and that's okay. You don't have to be afraid to admit there are certain things you either don't like to do or aren't any good at. You reach a goal by covering all your bases, and you cover all your bases by hiring good people.

To create the life you deserve, you have to go after it. The universe that you inhabit flows from you - you don't flow from it.

In the end, raising money is basically a matter of going out there and asking. There are no shortcuts.

What separates the winners from the losers is that winners are able to handle problems and crises that they never imagined would occur. You hit the floor, but what counts is how fast you can get up and regroup. Failure is simply part of the equation.

Women are called difficult and tough when (1) we negotiate the best deal, (2) we are perfectionists in doing our job, (3) we are willing to work harder and longer than men are willing to, and (4) when we question anything - anything - that someone else is doing, particularly if that someone is a man.