“When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt
You never know what is going to happen! You can never stop…you have to keep on going no matter what happens. Someone said, “The road to success is dotted with many tempting parking places.” There are so many occasions where you will do well and you will be tempted to rest on your laurels. All I can say is “Don’t do it!” Life is a game in which you have to constantly grow. It is not meant for total rest. There is far too much to do and experience in life. As Newt Gingrich said, “Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did.”
Dale Carnegie said, “Don’t be afraid to give your best to what seemingly are small jobs. Every time you conquer one it makes you that much stronger. If you do the little jobs well, the big ones will tend to take care of themselves.” Do your best always. If there is one thing that I have learned, it is to always do your best.
Often, you only get one time to do something and if you don’t do your best, you will end up regretting that decision. It is ok to get defeated if you tried your best. You may not like it, but sometimes we will get defeated. The most important decision you can make after that is to get back up and keep moving forward. Stedman Graham said, “People who consider themselves victims of their circumstances will always remain victims unless they develop a greater vision for their lives.”
Success is a mindset. Success is whatever you decide it is. You may see material success and determine that money determines success. That is one measure, but it is not the only one. You are the one who decides for yourself what your version of success is. Then, you get to go after it. I like what Henry Ward Beecher said, “The difference between perseverance and obstinacy is that one comes from a strong will, and the other from a strong won’t.”
Belief in yourself and determination are the traits that will help you out when the chips are down. You have to draw on that internal strength and just know that you can make things happen if you believe you can.
