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When things get difficult… I will press on.
When I see the achievements of others and feel insignificant in comparison… I will press on.
When I am confronted with obstacles that seem too big to overcome… I will press on.
When the voices of the critics drown out the voices of the supporters… I will press on.
On the days when my faith is weak and all hope seems lost… I will press on.
During the periods when the future seems foggy and progress is slow… I will press on.
That problem in front of you, is it a comma or a full stop?
Will it halt you in your tracks forever, or will you be able to find a strategy to move past, around or through it?
What about that rejection that you received, is it a comma or a full stop?
Will it give you an excuse to give up, or will you keep trying?
Life isn’t a short, smooth, straight lane.
It’s often a long, winding trail full of obstacles and challenges.
To the singer who auditions for a reality TV show, but doesn’t get through to the next level…
Your dream isn’t over, get back to work.
To the job applicant who misses out on her dream job after an arduous interview process…
Your dream isn’t over, get back to work.
To the writer whose manuscript is rejected (again)…
Your dream isn’t over, get back to work.
Great Barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda) Image taken by Clark Anderson/Aquaimages. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
One of my favourite bloggers is Michael Hyatt and he recently shared a story about an experiment that was conducted a few years ago by a marine biologist.
The biologist placed a barracuda into a small tank and then added some small bait fish.
As you would expect, the barracuda quickly ate the smaller fish.
Then the researcher inserted a piece of glass into the tank, creating two separate sections. He put the barracuda on one side and new bait fish into the other.
The barracuda immediately attacked.
This time, however, he hit the glass and bounced off.
Undaunted, the barracuda kept repeating this behaviour every few minutes.
I’ve seen people give up on their dream job because they didn’t get the first role that they applied for in that area.
I’ve seen people give up on a business idea because someone they respected said that it couldn’t be done.
I’ve seen people give up finding a church because the first one they went to didn’t feel right.
I’ve seen lots of people give up on losing weight because they dieted for a few days before reverting back to old habits.
And then I’ve seen others who been told no on multiple occasions but refused to give up.
Tony Robbins was rejected by 12 banks before finally getting the $1,200 personal loan that he needed to attend his first Jim Rohn seminar and going on to follow in his mentor’s footsteps, enabling him to inspire and motivate millions of people.
In a bygone era, the persistent salesman was the one who knocked on doors all day.
Peddling vacuum cleaners or encyclopedias, he would go from house to house, getting rejected over and over again until he finally got a chance to make a sale.
And then he went on to the next street and the next.
As with many aspects of the industrial age, it was labour intensive and required sweat to be effective. The successful salesman was often the one who rang the most bells, the one who placed his foot in the most doorways so that he could be heard.
But times have changed.
Last weekend, in a very disappointing game from my beloved AFL team, the Richmond Tigers, there was another story.
Defender Kelvin Moore played his 85th game for the Tigers.
He had 13 kicks and 6 handpasses.
That’s not normally much of an achievement, except that Kelvin wasn’t expected to play football again after a serious hip injury almost two years ago.
His injury was described by surgeons as resembling a car accident victim and it required six operations.
He was told that, no, he couldn’t expect to be able to play sport again, especially at an elite level, but Kel refused to accept this prognosis.
When you feel like stopping… don’t.
When you feel like giving up… don’t.
When you think that you can’t keep going… you can.
When you think that it’s all too hard… think again.
When you think that you are stuck in your current situation… you don’t have to be.
Tree chewed through by beavers in Oregon. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Beavers truly are extraordinary creatures.
With their razor sharp teeth, they have the ability to eat their way through a tree trunk in less than an hour.
Then, one tree at a time, they start to build their dam.
A tree is taken down and carefully placed into position. But one tree doesn’t make much of a difference.
So another tree is lopped and moved, all to little avail.
It may take hundreds of trees to complete their structures, but this doesn’t stop them from working diligently until eventually their construction is completed.
Then something remarkable happens.
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