Persistence is Stronger than Failure
Persist and Resist
Source: Flickr
Abraham Lincoln is acknowledged as one of America’s greatest presidents. Here is a brief summary of his career:
1831: Failed in Business
1832 Defeated for Legislature
1833: Failed in Business again
1834: Elected to Legislature
1836: Nervous Breakdown
1838: Defeated for Speaker
1840: Defeated for Elector
1843: Defeated for Congressional Nomination
1846: Elected to Congress
1848: Defeated for Congress
1855: Defeated for Senate
1856: Defeated for Vice President
1859: Defeated for Senate
1860: Elected President of the United States
Source: Wooden: A lifetime of Observations and Reflections On and Off The Court
Proving that genius often really is just persistence in disguise.
Source: The Obstacle is the Way
Persist and resist. Persist in your efforts. Resist giving into distraction, discouragement or disorder.
Source: Epictetus
Before I dive into my thoughts on persistence, this is my 52nd blog post. 52 posts was my goal when I started this project a year ago and I am proud to have reached it. I have a history of not taking the time to recognize and celebrate personal accomplishments. I am always either dismissive or on to the next one. It’s a mindset I am trying to change. Thanks for all your support over this last year! I’m grateful for all the positive feedback. The plan was to be one and done like a college basketball star, but I have a few more ideas to share. Sorry, you guys are stuck with me for a little while longer.
Persistence seemed like a fitting topic for this week. If there is one thing I have learned over the past year, it is that weekly blog creation requires a healthy dose of persistence. Writer’s block is real. Staring at a blank google document, with the black line blinking, can make the sanest person go mad. Secondly, a belief of mine is that writers write for themselves. Renowned author, William Zinsser, sees writing in a similar light, he calls writing “an act of ego and you might as well admit it.” I love helping people and I hope the ideas in these posts help some of you. But this blog is also a tool to help me develop as a person and a writer. For instance, part of the reason persistence is the theme today is because I needed a reminder to keep pushing forward. For those of you that don’t know, I am officially retired from professional hockey. My former team started training camp the other day, and knowing they have started without me has been difficult. Even though I knew it was time to move on from hockey, I can’t help but feel self-doubt and envy. On top of that, my job hunt has been arduous. It has taken much longer than expected. And it has involved much more rejection than expected. It has been a humbling experience and, at times, a demoralizing one. Complaining won’t get me anywhere though. Persistence will. Persistence is stronger than failure.