A QUICK LESSON ON PERSEVERANCE

Writing in his book, 'Building BrainPower: Turning Grey Matter into Gold', Dilip Mukerjea shares with readers a hand-crafted mind-map on 'People Who Persevered'.

Along with it, he relates "several instances of famous people who persisted determinedly until their efforts brought them success and recognition. These examples show us that, with persistent perseverance and indefatigable determination, all of us have the potential for great success."

He even throws in a brief story & a short poem to illustrate perseverance, as follows:

"There is a story of two frogs having fallen into a vat of cream. One of the frogs struggled for a bit, then gave up. Needless to say, he drowned.

The other frog, meanwhile continued struggling in his efforts to escape. His persistent struggles churned the cream into butter following which he was able to climb onto butter and jump to freedom."

"Two frogs fell into a can of cream -
or so I've heard it told.
The sides of the can were shiny and steep.
The cream was deep and cold.
'Oh, what's the use? said number 1,
' 'This fate - no help's around -
Good-bye, my friend! Good-bye, sad world!'
And weeping still, he drowned.
But number 2 of sterner stuff,
Dogpaddled in surprise,
The whole he wiped his creamy face
And dried his creamy eyes.
'I'll swim awhile, at least,' he said -
Or so it has been said -
'It wouldn't really help the world
If one more frog was dead.'
An hour, or two he kicked and swam -
Not once he stopped to mutter,
But kicked and swam, and swam and kicked,
Then hopped out, via butter."

I just thought of sharing some of my favourite quotations about 'perseverance', as follows:

"Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no help at all."

~ Dale Carnegie, success motivator & author of the best selling book, 'How to Win Friends & Influence People';

"Before success comes in any man's life he is sure to meet with much temporary defeat and, perhaps, some failures. When defeat overtakes a man, the easiest and most logical thing to do is to quit. That is exactly what the majority of men do."

~ Napoleon Hill, author of best-selling books of all time, 'Think & Grow Rich' & 'The Law of Success';

"I do not think there is any other quality so essential to success of any kind as the quality of perseverance. It overcomes almost everything, even nature."

~ John D. Rockefeller, industrialist & philanthropist;

"Success seems to be connected with action. Successful men keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don't quit."

~ Conrad Hilton, hotelier & founder of the Hilton Hotel chain;

"I learned about the strength you can get from a close family life. I learned to keep going, even in bad times. I learned not to despair, even when my world was falling apart. I learned that there are no free lunches. And I learned the value of hard work."

~ Lee Iaccoca, former CEO of Ford Motor Co., well known for his revival of the Chrysler Corporation in the 1980s;

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts."

~ Winston Churchill, former British Prime Minister;

"A leader, once convinced that a particular course of action is the right one, must....be undaunted when the going gets tough."

~ Ronald Reagan, former US President;

"I think a hero is an ordinary individual who finds strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles."

~ Christopher Reeve, movie actor famous for his role as 'Superman', in four films from 1978 to 1987;

"I think I'd like to be remembered as someone who beat the odds through just plain determination . . . that I persevered. Because I think that being somewhat of a pest to life, constantly plaguing and pursuing, will bring results."

~ Sylvester Stallone, movie megastar famous for his 'Rocky' & 'Rambo' movies;

"Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength."

~ Arnold Schwarzenegger, 5-times Mr Universe, 7-times Mr Europa, movie megastar, & politician currently serving as the 38th Governor of California;

"Always continue the climb. It is possible for you to do whatever you choose if you first get to know who you are and are willing to work with a power that is greater than ourselves to do it. "

~ Oprah Winfrey, celebrated TV host;

"There were no shortcuts, I realized. It took years of racing to build up the mind and body and character until a rider had logged hundreds of races and thousands of miles of road. I wouldn’t be able to win a Tour de France until I had enough iron in my legs, and lungs, and brain and Heart."

~ Lance Armstrong, 7 times 'Tour de France' Champion;