Recently there was a news report that Colonel Sanders's 68-year-old recipe was being secretly moved from its previous storage spot until security could be revamped. The story went on to say that only one copy of the legendary recipe exists on a single sheet of yellowed notebook paper, with the ingredients handwritten in pencil. The sheet bears the Colonel's famous signature at the bottom.

Some called it a great publicity stunt; the story reported that the piece of paper was being moved to an undisclosed location via armored car and full security detail. The story went on to say that the recipe would travel in a briefcase, handcuffed to a security professional.

(I wonder how all that information got to the press if this was such a secret operation!)

The recipe, which has been reportedly under lock and key for decades, includes the exact amounts of each of the 11 herbs and spices, and only two company executives have access to it.

I had heard previously about the Colonel trying very hard to get his recipe of 10 herbs and spices into restaurants. If people liked it, he would franchise the recipe to them for 5 cents a chicken. That was his plan. But, it wasn't working.

I recently heard a story about the final 11th ingredient that literally launched an empire.

Sanders was confident of his recipe and he was persistent. But he was rejected by the first 1,000 restaurants that he approached. Most people would have given up and quit long before that. But then, he came to prospect number 1,001, a bar owner.

The story goes that the Colonel would challenge his chicken against a prospective client's chicken. After 1,000 rejections, this bar owner told him that his chicken needed to have a lot more salt so that his customers would get thirsty and buy more beer!

So, he salted the Colonel's chicken and took another bite, and reportedly said, "If you'll add salt to your recipe, I'm a taker!" The Colonel then took a bite of the salted chicken and spit it out! He thought it tasted terrible!

But the Colonel, having been on a no salt diet for years, tasted food much differently than everyone else. And, he thought that although he might not like the salt, others would. And they did. Millions of them!

Now, even though you now know one of the 11 secret ingredients in Colonel Sander's chicken, that's not the point of this article. The point is that persistence alone will not necessarily bring you success.

I believe in prayer and persistence. I believe in being passionate about your product. I believe in being confident and staying positive. But I also know, and continue to learn, that you have to be willing to change. And that requires a little bit of humility.

Now obviously, without persistence and confidence the Colonel may not have ever run into the bar owner. But he did, and he was willing to consider what the man had to say, even when it went against his own taste buds!

Sometimes an answer to prayer comes in the form of some good counsel. And there are times when that counsel will require you to change direction, change course or change your thinking!

And since there is no shortage of people who will offer an opinion, you need to be selective on the advice you receive. The key is to be flexible enough to change when you need to change.

To be successful in any endeavor: pray, be persistent, be confident and be passionate. Always be willing to listen and to evaluate someone else's opinion. And, be ready to change!