There has never been a successful story half written

By Pat Mesiti

Michelangelo lay flat on his back for seven years to paint the Sistine Chapel. Charles Goodyear was obsessed with making a rubber that was unaffected by temperature extremes. Years of unsuccessful experiments caused him bitter disappointment, imprisonment for debt, family difficulties and ridicule from friends. He persevered and in February 1839 Goodyear discovered that adding sulphur to rubber achieved his purpose.

In 1905, the University of Bern rejected a doctoral dissertation saying it was irrelevant and fanciful. Albert Einstein was disappointed, but he wasn't defeated. Frank Woolworths laboured to save his first fifty dollars and then saw three of his first five chain stores fail. Many of life's failures are people who did not realise how close they were to success when they gave up.

 Disappointment demands perseverance if we are to overcome. Disappointment comes to us all, but we need to get the ‘dis’ out of our disappointment and realise that we have an ‘appointment’ with success. To persevere in the midst of disappointment or being flat on your back is about choice. Perseverance is a decision of the will followed by a resilience in your soul.

You have to understand that in life we have to finish our course, we can't quit half way. They don't give medals for running half a race. We can't lose hope because hope is not passively waiting, it is an eager anticipation of what is to happen. In the meantime, while we are waiting, we do what is necessary to achieve what we need to achieve. You can be a failure at academics but be an incredible hero to millions of people. In school, Mohammed Ali came 376th out of 391 students, but he became one of the greatest champions in history—because he persevered. He suffered ridicule, shame, degradation and imprisonment for a little while, but now lives the rest of his life as a champion. Michael Jordan said, ‘I failed over and over again in my life, that's why I have succeeded.’

Where you get advice from is very important. Can you imagine what your life would have been like if you had given up walking after the first baby steps, after the first toilet training mishap? Can you imagine if Pavarotti quit singing after his first music lesson, if Edison quit experimenting after 999 failures, or if Colonel Sanders quit after his first rejection? What if Winston Churchill had quit in the face of opposition from his fellow parliamentarians?

Understand that it is perseverance that gets results. There has never been a successful story half written, no successful song half sung. It is always too soon to quit. Thomas Carlyle spoke of 'permanence, perseverance and persistence in spite of all obstacles, discouragements and impossibilities. It is this that in all things distinguish the strong soul from the weak.’

 
Challenge
It is imperative during the tough times to surround yourself with right choices and right voices. It is important who you listen to and what you listen to. It is important to read good books and listen to good tapes that will build up your spirit.

Pat Mesiti International Motivational Speaker gives you principles to soar higher!
(excerpt taken from Pat Mesiti’s new book “Soaring Higher”)