Most people quit. It’s a simple as that. Most people quit. It’s no secret…successful people never quit. If there is a secret, it’s that persistence is the main ingredient to winning at anything. It frequently comes down to being just that simple…that success hinges on simply never giving up.
Calvin Coolidge said: “Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; un-rewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan “Press On” has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.”
It’s been my experience that people don’t fail; they just quit trying. To quit while you’re ahead is silly; to quit while you’re behind is even sillier. I’ve heard it said that often it’s not the wrong start, but the wrong stop that makes the difference between success and failure. The measure of success is not being in the right place at the right time, knowing the right people or just being lucky. No, the measure of success is being able to conquer failure.
“The trouble with most of us,” it’s been said, “is that we stop trying in trying times.” There is wisdom even in puns.
As I said, most people quit. People who have made a habit of quitting see persistence as an “optional extra.” They learn to quit early and often. This is good news for those of us who have decided to NEVER give up. It means that if we just keep sticking it out, in a very short time, we’ll be in front of most because most people are quitters. Remember, a big shot is simply a little shot that keeps on shooting.
Never consider the possibility of failure. Never give quitting any mental space. Decide in advance to hold on, no matter what happens. Refuse to quit. I have a saying for myself; I WILL NEVER QUIT! WHY? BECAUSE IT’S MY CHOICE, I WILL NEVER QUIT! The longer you persist, the more convinced you will become that nothing will stop you…and soon nothing will.
The following is one of the more helpful poems that I’ve ever come across:
DON’T QUIT When things go wrong, as they sometimes will, When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill, When the funds are low and the debts are high, And you want to smile but you have to sigh, When care is pressing you down a bit, Rest if you must, but don’t you quit. For life is queer with its twists and turns, As every one of us sometimes learns, And many a failure turns about, When he might have won if he’d stuck it out. Success if just failure turned inside out, The silver tint of the clouds of doubt. And you never can tell how close you are, It may be near when it seems so far. So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit, It’s when things seem worst that YOU MUST NOT QUIT!
Anonymous
Simply resolve not to ever give up. This will change your life forever like nothing else. Persistence is to the character of man as carbon is to steel.
Mack Newton
Copyright Mack Newton. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced in any form without the expressed written consent of the author.
