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The Importance Of Perseverance

My family attended the graduation of our oldest daughter from the University of Central Florida last month. Two of the many colleges at the University were holding their commencement ceremonies at that time. As I watched the ceremony, I realized this was a perfect example of the importance of perseverance.

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After the opening remarks and speakers, they began awarding degrees to the graduates. They began with the students who earned their doctorate degrees. Next, the students were awarded master’s degrees. This part of the ceremony went rather quickly. The majority of the students were earning their baccalaureate, and there were over a thousand students.

The Importance Of Perseverance

The first students to walk across the stage or the distinguished students who graduated summa cum laude and magna cum laude. There were only a few of these. I began to think that the students were the only ones who didn’t struggle during the last four years. Studying was easy for them, and they probably didn’t change majors. The rest of the students understood the importance of perseverance.

I was not a good student in college. Consequently, I changed my major five times before I found one that interested me. I struggled and was plagued by procrastination, fear, uncertainty, lack of motivation, and even depression. Failing so many times I didn’t think I would ever complete the requirements for my degree. It took me five and a half years, but I persevered and made it.

My Daughter

My daughter struggled as well. She did not have high test scores. While her friends were attending a university she had to attend a local state college. After a very poor start and a “come to Jesus” meeting with me, she did well. She was supposed to stay at the state college for two years. Before completing her first year, she reapplied and was accepted for the fall semester at the University of Central Florida.

importance-perseverance-college-graduation-two-girls
So Proud!

At UCF, her struggles did not end. She had difficulty finding a major that suited her. She would procrastinate in courses that did not interest her. Her grades reflected her effort. Finally, she found her niche in kinesiology, and she excelled. She told me later that she almost quit more than once because it got too difficult. Something inside her would not let her, and eventually, she found her passion. She understood the importance of perseverance.

Reflections

As I sat in the arena waiting for the ceremony to begin, I began to reflect on her life. I was reliving important events of her childhood. I remembered the day she was born, her accomplishments on sports teams, and her high school graduation.

As the music began playing, signaling the start of the ceremony, I remembered a phone call I received. It was from her and she was screaming into the phone. I couldn’t understand what she was saying and thought something bad had happened. Then I understood the words, “Dad, I got in, I got accepted to UCF.”

As the processional of graduates continued, we finally spotted her walking into the arena. I could not have been prouder. It wasn’t that she earned her degree. A degree is not a guarantee of a good job or better life. I was proud because she didn’t quit. She conquered all obstacles.

Never Quit

I’m sure many other graduates went through equally difficult times. They all have one thing in common; they didn’t quit. The sheepskin that all graduates have does not mean that they are smarter or better than anyone who doesn’t have one. It stands for accomplishing what they set out to do four years before. That is the importance of perseverance.

Cites

https://unsplash.com/@city_child

4 Steps To Becoming Persistent

I am continuing to talk about the book Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. Today I will discuss the eighth step, Persistence, The Sustained Effort Necessary To Induce Faith. Once you turn belief into faith you will become unstoppable. Faith is an essential ingredient to accomplishing your goals and dreams. These 4 steps to becoming persistent will change your life.

Get A Printable and An Editable Planner For Free. The Planner Includes A Gratitude Pad And Journaling Pages. Also A 12 Month Fillable Calendar.

Persistence

Hill states that persistence is an essential factor in changing desire into its monetary equivalent. The basis of persistence is willpower. Titans of industry are often described as cold-blooded and ruthless. This is because they have the willpower to obtain their objectives. Henry Ford was described this way because of his habit of following through on all his plans with persistence.

Most people will quit and give up on their dreams at the first sign of failure. They lack the willpower and persistence to carry on when things are not going well. Many people are motivated to change their situation, but few have the discipline to work at it day after day without seeing results. The small percentage who live on their terms and have achieved financial independence have persistence.

Your WHY

These are the ones who begin with a desire to change their lives. They have a reason to make that change, the WHY. If their WHY is big enough, they will fight through every obstacle and be persistent in the pursuit of their desire. Persistence, when nothing seems to be working, will build the belief that they can change. As they continue being persistent, their belief will turn into faith. The ones who quit will never know what it is like to have faith. What does persistence mean? It means working on your plan every day until you build faith.

What To Do?

So what do you do if you are weak in persistence? Firstly, you can set up a schedule and make sure that you work toward your desire every day. Doing anything is better than doing nothing. Probably the best method of becoming persistent is to set up a mastermind group. A person or persons in your group will help you stay on track. The group will be able to keep each other accountable.

steps-becoming-persistent-monkey-lying-steps
Some Days I Feel Like This

Your Group

At the beginning of the year, I was very persistent. I was working towards my goals every day. One of the members of my mastermind group and I formed an accountability circle. We would talk every Monday and discuss the things we did during the week towards accomplishing our goals. It made persistence very easy because neither one of us wanted to disappoint the other. What does persistence mean? It means forming a mastermind group to keep each other accountable and on track.

There is no substitute for persistence. It is important to remember at the beginning of your journey towards change. In this time, when everything is difficult and slow, you might experience many failures. Through persistence, you recognize these failures as steppingstones to success. It will keep you from becoming disheartened and giving up, which is the ultimate failure.

Money Mindset

To obtain wealth or financial freedom, you will have to develop a money mindset. If you are struggling financially, it is because you have a poverty mindset. You focus more on bills and debt than you do on ways to increase your income. A money mindset is developed through persistent effort. Thinking, speaking, and visualizing your financial freedom daily will change your situation.

Our subconscious mind works every day, all day. It is working when you are sleeping, and it is working when you are awake. It is picking up your words and thoughts and translating them into your reality. To change your reality, you must be persistent in your words and thoughts. Speaking positive affirmations and wealth affirmations every day will reprogram your subconscious mind.

Discovery

Persistence will lead to the discovery of new techniques and strategies in which to accomplish your desire. Persistent thoughts of wealth will lead to direct discoveries via the Internet or books etc. It will also lead to indirect discoveries such as social media posts, emails, meeting new people, etc. Being persistent in pursuing your desire will open you up to the unlimited universe we live in.

4 Steps To Becoming Persistent

Hill describes four simple steps to develop the habit of persistence. These four little steps can have an enormous change in your lifestyle. The four steps are:

  1. A WHY. Your definite purpose is coupled with a burning desire to accomplish it.
  2. A definite plan to which you consistently apply action.
  3. Closing your mind to all negative and discouraging influences.
  4. Allying with one or more persons to keep you accountable.

That is it; that is all it takes to develop a habit of persistence. Once you develop this habit, your belief will grow until you develop faith. When you know the feeling of faith you will know that nothing can stop you from achieving your desire. Your life is going to change for the better; it is just a matter of time. Do these 4 Steps To Becoming Persistent. What is the meaning of persistence? It’s quite simple. Persistence equals SUCCESS.

Cites

https://unsplash.com/@brett_jordan

https://unsplash.com/@marcuslofvenberg

how-to-be-happy-with-yourself-girl-watermelon-smiling

How To Be Happy With Yourself

In Episode 51 I talk about how to be happy with yourself. I want to talk about taking everything we did at the end of the last year and utilize it in the future. If you haven’t read my previous posts from the last few weeks, then I will encourage you to go back and read them. I talked about words you need to replace in your vocabulary, setting goals, and doing a self-analysis.

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You Can Be Happy With Yourself

For me, 2020 was a great year despite everything that went on in the world. Today I’m a different person than I was this time last year. I am excited about what the future brings. The possibilities are endless and the choice is yours on what you want to do with the next 365 days. I am set up better for the future because of everything I did at the end of 2020.

Commit

How to be happy with yourself? First, you can decide today how your life is going to be like a year from now. You just need to make the decision to change. The decision is not enough though. The most important part of making any decision is to make a commitment to that decision. Your commitment will get you through the difficult times.

Many people make New Year’s resolutions during this time. I have never made New Year’s resolutions. Most New Year’s resolutions made by people only last about two weeks. By January 15th they have already quit on them. The reason is that they never committed to their resolutions.

New Years Resolutions

Let’s take the gym for example. Before COVID, you could find me in the gym almost every morning. Many people make a resolution to lose weight and at the beginning of January, the gym becomes very crowded. Normally, I could go through my workouts without any interference but not at the beginning of January. I don’t like the crowds but I only have to put up with them for the first two weeks. By then, most people have quit because it got too hard and they didn’t commit.

Don’t Follow The Crowd

Now that we’re in 2021 don’t be like most people. Begin today working on a new you. Start carving out the life that you want to live and stop listening to the opinion of others. Read your goals and begin working on your plan. I’m a better person today because of the decision I made last year and the commitment I made to that decision. It wasn’t easy and in fact, it was very hard at times. Stretching my comfort zone was difficult and I wanted to quit several times.

Keep Working

I just kept working on my plan even on days that I didn’t want to. I kept speaking what I wanted and not what I had. Celebrating the small victories was a big help. I made productive use of each day and always moved forward. Some days I made giant leaps and others, small steps. When I fell I always fell forward. The most important thing I did was persevere by focusing on the WHY.

How to be happy with yourself? Go make the next year your year! You’ve made your decision and committed to that decision. Your goals are set and you have a solid plan. You have a WHY that is big and emotional. Hopefully, it scares you. You know nothing’s going to get in your way and you will overcome all obstacles. Persevere and NEVER QUIT!

Cites

Photo Credit: https://unsplash.com/@cajugos

Difficult Times Quotes

Life is not fair. This is something that should be taught early on in childhood. Bad things happen to good people; good things happen to bad people. This is just life. We’re all going to go through difficult times. Below are some difficult times quotes to help you get through them.

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Difficult Times Quotes Will Help

Why do bad things happen to good people? I don’t have an answer to that question. Reflecting on my own life there have been several difficult times. I believe I have lived a good life and consider myself a good person. Despite that, I was diagnosed with cancer at age 47. This was a difficult time in me and my family’s life. Through the right mindset and plenty of prayers, I survived.

“All of us might wish at times that we lived in a more tranquil world, but we don’t. And if our times are difficult and perplexing, so are they challenging and filled with opportunity.
~ Robert Kennedy

“Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations. The best is yet to come.”
~ Zig Ziglar

An Extremely Difficult Time

Back in November, I wrote a post about losing a friend. My friend was a better person than me. Probably one of the best people I have ever met. He was always giving himself, his time, and his money towards helping other people. He died unexpectedly at the age of 63. Life isn’t fair and bad things happen to good people.

I wondered why. Were we being punished for a past transgression? Did we get closer to some unknown breakthrough and evil forces intervened to stop us? Was it just a random happening?

“There are certain life lessons that you can only learn in the struggle.”
~ Idowu Koyenikan

“I can’t control the waves of the ocean, but I can learn how to navigate my ship.”
~ Debasish Mridha

Why?

Why we go through difficult times can be answered in different ways based on our beliefs. A religious person can see it as Satan turning you against God. Scientists might look at it as just random acts with no meaning. It just happens. The pessimist says their life is just one difficult time after another. Optimists see difficult times as obstacles to overcome. These times don’t last.

difficult-times-quotes-man-sitting-head-down
https://unsplash.com/@whoislimos

I go through difficult times frequently and they seem to hit one right after the other. Then I will have several months of good times. Once I realize that life wasn’t fair, I began to handle the difficult times better. Good things happen to bad people and good people struggle. This is life and I don’t pretend to have it figured out. These difficult times quotes help me out.

Ask The Right Question

When I go through difficult times, I no longer asked the question; why did it happen? The question I ask myself is; what am I gonna do about it? After being diagnosed with cancer, I didn’t waste time trying to figure out what caused it. I realized that I had lived a great life and I accepted it. Next, I began thinking about defeating the disease.

“You can make heaven out of hell, or hell out of heaven. The choice is yours.”
~ Shannon L. Alder

“Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.”
~ Dale Carnegie

It Is Not Fair

Life is not fair. Never has been, never will be. When you go through difficult times, don’t worry about the cause, focus on the solution. There isn’t anything that life throws at you that you cannot handle.

“Together with God you can successfully handle any difficulty.”
~ Jim George

“Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.”
~ Khalil Gibran

I don’t pay attention to other people, rather they are good or bad. If someone is a terrible person and becomes wealthy, and God bless them. I’m not in control of others in the way they live. I’m only in control of myself.

Don’t Waste Time

Don’t waste time on why it happened. Concentrate on why you need to get through these difficult times. Difficult times quotes can help. The Law of Attraction doesn’t differentiate between good and bad people. If you understand the Law of Attraction then you know you will become what you think. Bad people can have good thoughts. In contrast, good people can have negative thoughts. Your thoughts, good or bad, will become your reality.

“Be strong. You never know who you are inspiring.”
~ Unknown

“Do not pray for an easy life, pray for the strength to endure a difficult one.”
~ Bruce Lee

You have too much to give to let the difficult times stop you. Focus on yourself and learn to control your thoughts. If you find yourself thinking negatively immediately speak positive affirmations. Live the life you want to live in your mind before you live it in reality. Good things happen to good people. Be the example you want others to emulate.

Cites

https://unsplash.com/@simplicity

https://unsplash.com/@whoislimos

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Gloom Despair And Agony On Me

Gloom, Despair, and Agony on me. How those words brought back a lot of great memories. I used to watch a TV show with my mom and dad back in the 70s called, Hee Haw. It was a show with country comedians and musicians that would perform various skits. One of those skits had two performers singing the song Gloom Despair and Agony on me. Then they would say something funny about their trials and tribulations. They would repeat the song until another funny story. This was one of the funniest skits and it makes me laugh today thinking about it.

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Gloom And Despair

2021 has not been kind to me. Nope, not one bit. Most people couldn’t wait for 2020 to end. I for one wouldn’t mind going back. Yes, this is me, the guy that’s always talking about moving forward. I am that guy but I would gladly rewind the clock and go back a year.

Why you say? Well, I’ll tell you. It seems as if Life has put me in her crosshairs since the beginning of the year. I have taken blow after blow after blow. Every time I overcome one punch and think things are getting better, she throws an uppercut. Hits me right on the chin. It has been so bad I began to feel despair. The words to that song flooded my brain, Gloom Despair and Agony on me.

Despair Defined

Despair is defined as loss of hope; a cause of hopelessness. This is what I was feeling just the other day. People have called me a lot of different things in my life. The one thing no one has ever called me was a quitter. So I fought on with every weapon I had. I wasn’t losing ground but I wasn’t gaining any either.

So as I continued to take punch after punch, bad news after bad news, I began to wonder what was coming next. Luckily I don’t ever take on these battles alone. I have my family, my friends, and God. On one particularly bad day, I went to bed and as I always do I picked up a devotional guide, Feeding On Jesus by Jennifer Arimborgo. Jennifer is a wonderful person who is a missionary in the Amazon Jungle in Peru. Her website is feedingonjesus.com.

Devotionals

The devotional I turned to that night was Isaiah 35:4, “Say to those who are fearful-hearted, ‘Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God; He will come and save you.’” I immediately was lifted out of my despair. God knows when you’re feeling hopeless and places hope in front of you.

gloom-despair-agony-bottom-well-looking-up
https://unsplash.com/@anakin1814

I knew right then that everything was going to be okay. In the words of Rocky Balboa, “The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place and I don’t care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it.” I knew I had to take the hits and keep moving forward.

Control

I can’t control what life throws at me. Neither can you. Two things I can control are my attitude and effort. I can control my thoughts and not give in to despair. I believe and have faith that things will turn around. Some situations are too big for you and me to handle. These are the ones I turn over to God.

Persevere

There have been several times in my life that I have sailed through troubled waters. Each time God has sent me a sign to tell me he is there and everything will be all right. I am lucky I have this great team of family, friends, and God. Together we can get through any storm. Because of them, I have been able to persevere through the difficult times in my life.

Even though this year has been a struggle for me, I know there are better times ahead. The years to come will be filled with difficulty but also with much happiness. Whatever life wants to throw at me in the future, I’m ready for it. I have God by my side. In the end, the good times will far outweigh the bad.

Cites

https://unsplash.com/@jeremyperkins

persistence-means-climbers-snowy-mountain

What Does Persistence Mean?

I am continuing to talk about the book Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. Today I will discuss the eighth step, Persistence, The Sustained Effort Necessary To Induce Faith. Once you turn belief into faith you will become unstoppable. Faith is an essential ingredient to accomplishing your goals and dreams. What does persistence mean?  These 10 quotes will help you discover the meaning of persistence.

Do you feel like you could improve your life? Are you a confident person who knows what they want and gets it? If not, the solution is behind the button below.

The Meaning Of Persistence

Hill states that persistence is an essential factor in changing desire into its monetary equivalent. The basis of persistence is willpower. Titans of industry are often described as cold-blooded and ruthless. This is because they have the willpower to obtain their objectives. Henry Ford was described this way because of his habit of following through in all his plans with persistence.

“The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one time more.”
~ Thomas Edison

“The most essential factor is persistence – the determination never to allow your energy or enthusiasm to be dampened by the discouragement that must inevitably come.”
~ James Whitcomb Riley

Most people will quit and give up on their dreams at the first sign of failure. They lack the willpower and persistence to carry on when things aren’t going well. Many people are motivated to change their situation but few have the discipline to work at it day after day without seeing results. The small percentage who live on their terms and have achieved financial independence have persistence.

Belief Will Build Faith

These are the ones who begin with a desire to change their lives. They have a reason to make that change, the WHY. If their WHY is big enough, he will fight through every obstacle and be persistent in the pursuit of their desire. Persistence, when nothing seems to be working, will build the belief that they can change. As they continue being persistent, their belief will turn into faith. The ones who quit will never know what it’s like to have faith. What does persistence mean? It means working on your plan every day until you build faith.

“Success has a price tag on it, and the tag reads courage, determination, discipline, risk taking, perseverance, and consistency – doing the right things for the right reasons and not just when we feel like it.”
~ James M. Meston

“You just can’t beat the person who never gives up.”
~ Babe Ruth

What If I Am Not Persistent?

So what you do if you are weak in persistence? Firstly, you can set up a schedule and make sure that you work toward your desire every day. Doing anything is better than doing nothing. Probably the best method of becoming persistent is to set up a mastermind group. A person or persons in your group will help you stay on track. The group will be able to keep each other accountable.

“I do not think they 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

“In the confrontation between the stream and the rock, the stream always wins – not through strength, but through persistence.”
~ Buddha

At the beginning of the year, I was very persistent. I was working towards my goals every day. One of the members of my mastermind group and I formed an accountability circle. We would talk every Monday and discuss the things we did during the week towards accomplishing our goals. This made persistence very easy because neither one of us wanted to disappoint the other. What does persistence mean? It means forming a mastermind group to keep each other accountable and on track.

persistence-means-window-sign

No Substitute

There is no substitute for persistence. This is very important to remember at the beginning of your journey towards change. In this time when everything is difficult and slow, you might experience many failures. Through persistence, you recognize these failures as steppingstones to success. This will keep you from becoming disheartened and giving up which is the ultimate failure.

To obtain wealth or financial freedom you will have to develop a money mindset. If you’re struggling financially, it is because you have a poverty mindset. You focus more on bills and debt than you do on ways to increase your income. A money mindset is only developed through persistent effort. Thinking, speaking, and visualizing your financial freedom daily will change your situation.

“My greatest point is my persistence. I never give up in a match. However down I am, I fight until the last ball. My list of matches shows that I have turned a great many so-called irretrievable defeats into victories.”
~ Bjorn Borg

“Patience, persistence, and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success.”
~ Napoleon Hill

The Subconscious Mind

Our subconscious mind works every day all day. It’s working when you’re sleeping and it’s working when you’re awake. It’s picking up your words and thoughts and translating them into your reality. To change your reality you must be persistent in your words and thoughts. Speaking positive affirmations and wealth affirmations every day will reprogram your subconscious mind.

Persistence will lead to the discovery of new techniques and strategies in which to accomplish your desire. Persistent thoughts of wealth will lead to direct discoveries via the Internet or books etc. It will also lead to indirect discoveries such as social media posts, emails, meeting new people, etc. Being persistent in the pursuit of your desire will open you up to the unlimited universe we live in.

“History has demonstrated that the most notable winners usually encountered heartbreaking obstacles before they triumphed. They won because they refused to become discouraged by their defeat.”
~ B. C. Forbes

“You’re not obligated to win. You’re obligated to keep trying to do the best you can every day.”
~ Marina Wright Edelman

4 Simple Steps

Hill describes four simple steps to develop the habit of persistence. These four little steps can have an enormous change on your lifestyle. The four steps are:

  1. A WHY. Your definite purpose coupled with a burning desire to accomplish it.
  2. A definite plan in which you consistently put action to.
  3. Closing your mind to all negative and discouraging influences.
  4. Forming an alliance with one or more persons to keep you accountable.

That is it, that’s all it takes to develop a habit of persistence. Once you develop this habit your belief will grow until you develop faith. When you know the feeling of faith, you will know that nothing can stop you from achieving your desire. Your life is going to change for the better, it’s just a matter of time. What’s the meaning of persistence? It’s quite simple. Persistence equals SUCCESS.

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Cites

https://unsplash.com/@henrip

“Persistence, The Sustained Effort Necessary To Induce Faith” Think and Grow Rich: The Complete Classic Text, by Napoleon Hill, Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin, 2008, pp. 217-242.

Sir Ernest Shackleton: An Inspiration

Episode 34: The Inspiring Sir Ernest Shackleton

I hope you enjoy episode 34 of my podcast, Sir Ernest Shackleton: An Inspiration. A few weeks ago I was reading the book, Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. It is one of my favorite books and I read it over and over. (You can purchase it from Amazon by clicking on the icon, hint hint, wink wink). In chapter 14, The Sixth Sense is about using your creative imagination. Hill created a mastermind group in his imagination. These were people that he admired, some alive and others long gone. They were people like Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, and Abraham Lincoln. This got me thinking about people who inspire us.

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Hill was inspired by his mastermind group and would even have roundtable council meetings in his mind. During these meetings, he would have imaginary conversations with the members. Each one had a different quality that he admired. By doing this, he opened up his creative mind and came up with ideas on things he could accomplish. I began thinking about different people who I admired and who have inspired me throughout my life. So I decided to write about these inspirational people. They are people who overcame obstacles and were great leaders. I have learned great lessons from them. They have set excellent and inspirational examples for me to follow.

An Inspirational Leader

I will begin with an incredible leader, Sir Ernest Shackleton. Shackleton was born in 1874 in Kildare, Ireland. He was an Antarctic explorer who attempted to reach the South Pole. He joined Robert Scott’s expedition in 1901 and took part in the sledge journey across the Ross Ice Shelf. In January 1908, he led an expedition to Antarctica but was prevented from reaching their intended based site by the ice. On that expedition, he later led a sledging party to within 112 miles (180 km) of the South Pole. Due to their success in claiming the Victoria Land plateau for Britain, he was knighted on his return.

I first heard of Ernest Shackleton when I was given a book titled Endurance. You can also get this book by clicking on the icon to the right. (Another wink). The book, written by Alfred Lansing, is well written and inspirational. It entails the 1914 ill-fated expedition to Antarctica led by Shackleton. They proceeded from England aboard the ship, Endurance. The expedition had planned to make the first crossing of Antarctica. They would travel via the South Pole from the Weddell Sea to McMurdo Sound.

Sir-Ernest-Shackleton-An- Inspiration-Ship-trapped-ice
Endurance

Trapped

The Endurance became trapped in the ice and drifted for 10 months. Eventually, the ice crushed the powerful ship. Shackleton and his men then drifted for another five months on ice floes. Running low on food and supplies, they escaped in boats to uninhabited Elephant Island.

Knowing their only hope for survival was a dangerous journey across the sea, Shackleton and five men set out in a whaleboat. Their destination was the tiny island of South Georgia. There was a whaling station where they could find help. South Georgia was 800 miles from Elephant Island. The journey took 16 days across a rough and dangerous ocean. Through expert navigation, they landed on the south side of South Georgia.

An Arduous Journey

Although elated to have reached their destination, Shackleton knew their ordeal was not over. The whaling station was on the north side of the island. They would have to cross rugged terrain to reach it. It had been 16 months since the Endurance had become trapped in the ice. The six men set out and eventually reached the whaling station. The whalers couldn’t believe their eyes when these six ragged men walked into their station.

Shackleton never forgot about the men they left behind on Elephant Island. He worried about them every day. Despite his lack of strength he wanted to set sail and rescue them right away. The weather wouldn’t allow for a return trip at that time. Shackleton never gave up. He made four unsuccessful attempts at rescuing his men.

Rescue!

Four months later Shackleton’s perseverance paid off and they successfully arrived at Elephant Island. Shackleton couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw that all his men were alive. They survived despite the lack of food sources and water on this barren island. All his men were loaded onto the ship and they embarked to Chile.

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You can see why I titled this podcast Sir Ernest Shackleton: An Inspiration. Sir Ernest Shackleton displayed extraordinary leadership in saving all his men. He is an inspirational figure in which I admire greatly. His unmatched perseverance is a lesson that we should all learn. Persevering and overcoming all obstacles is the key to success. Shackleton had a definitive purpose, rescuing his men, and nothing was going to stop him. He was dedicated to his men and put their needs before his. This is the definition of a leader.

I hope you enjoyed Sir Ernest Shackleton: An Inspiration. Do you have any particular person who inspires you? Are there people that you admire and help you on your journey? If so, leave a comment below and let me know. Always enjoy reading your comments.

Perseverance Is The Key To Success

Do you ever wonder, why isn’t anything easy? Wouldn’t it be so nice if we could go through life without any struggles? Especially during these trying times in which we are currently living. Unfortunately, that doesn’t happen because life itself is a struggle and it takes strength and perseverance to get by. People who succeed in life are persistent. They learn how to improvise, adapt, and overcome. This is a phrase that Clint Eastwood made famous in his movie, Heartbreak Ridge. Perseverance is the key to success.

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Perseverance Is The Key To Success

You can’t get something great without giving something up. The struggles that we go through are necessary in order to accomplish our goals. God presents these struggles to us and we must learn to overcome them. Even though our struggles seem mighty, God never gives us more than we can handle. Whatever you’re going through, rest assured that it’s already inside you to overcome that struggle. The comedian Steve Harvey talks about his struggles when he first tried to make it in comedy. Looking at him now you would never know that he had to live in his car for three years while he was struggling to make it. He persevered and now leads an abundant wealthy lifestyle. He had no idea how long it would take him to achieve his goals.

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Photo by David Gavi on Unsplash

Persevere, Your Struggles Don’t Last Forever

We must persevere because our struggles don’t last forever. As I said earlier, they can never be too hard because God never gives us more than we can handle. If you improvise, adapt, and overcome, you will come out stronger and better. You can have the life you always wanted. In order to persevere, you must have a definitive purpose, a big WHY. This will get you through when it gets too hard, and you don’t feel like it’s worth the struggle. Do a little bit every day to get you closer to your goals and always keep moving forward, never go back. A great book to read on perseverance is “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho

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Are you hurting right now? Is life kicking you in the teeth and every day is a struggle?  We are all going through tough times these days and no one knows when it will end.  All we can do is improvise, adapt, and overcome. Set your goals, make a plan, and put action to that plan. Find your definitive purpose and if you don’t have one, ask. It will be shown to you. Keep things simple and form a team of people who will support you until your struggle ends. Were all in this together and we will need the help of each other to get through. Perseverance is the key to success.

Credits:

Photo by Chris Curry on Unsplash

Photo by David Gavi on Unsplash

Persistence Equals Success – Ep 19

This is one of my most important podcasts, Persistence Equals Success – Ep 19. In this podcast, I talk about the importance of being persistent. Anyone who has accomplished anything has had to persist through some tough times. They learned to embrace their failures.

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Persistence Equals Success – Ep 19

In my post, Success Doesn’t Wear a Watch, I talked about the WHY, and how your WHY HAS to be big and emotional. You have to dig down deep to pull out your WHY. Why do we want to do anything? Why did I want to start a new business doing something I’ve never done before? At my age, why would I tackle something that I had no experience doing, or, I thought, that I had no skills to be good at it? I had to keep asking myself WHY, over and over again, until I found the answer.

My answer came from deep down, it was emotional. I felt that millions of people could use my knowledge, experiences, and lessons that I have learned while traveling around the sun 59 times. That is my WHY. I will help millions of people to be happier, lead better lives, and pull out those gifts from God that everyone is born with. In turn, every person that I help will help millions of others. When I take my last trip around the sun, I will do it with a smile on my face knowing that I played this game of life and I have left it all out on the field.

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Persistence

I have gotten to where I am and will get to where I’m going all because of one word, persistence. I just kept moving forward. You see, the journey to accomplishing your goals and being successful is not linear. It doesn’t happen in a straight line. You move up, then you stumble. You get back up, brush yourself off, and start off again. Some days I get out of bed and I feel so energetic that I don’t think my feet touched the ground all day and I take great leaps forward. Other days I move forward in smaller steps and there are few days where my journey gets blocked and they make no progress.

Goals

My journey to where I got to today has followed this path: set a goal; make a plan; work the plan; fail; learn; redirect my efforts; success. This path repeats the failures become less frequent, my learning increases, my plan becomes better, and I succeed. You will face a similar path on your journey to success. I believe the number one attribute that you need to have in order to succeed is persistence. You just have to continue to work your plan persistently until you see small victories.

If you are persistent and you will rejoice in your failures instead of using them as reasons to quit. You will start to look at failures as opportunities and you will learn from each failure. Take the lessons you learn, look at your plan, and rework it if necessary. Look deep inside yourself and make sure you are doing everything you need to be doing to succeed.

Great Quote

“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. Unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education alone will not. The world is filled with educated derelicts. PERSISTENCE AND DETERMINATION ALONE ARE OMNIPOTENT.”

-Calvin Coolidge

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Here We Go!!

This Train Is Moving On. You Can Get On, You Can Get Off, But The Train Keeps Moving On! We Are Going To The Top Of The Mountain!

I hope you enjoyed my podcast, Persistence Equals Success – Ep 19. If so, leave a comment below and let me know. I always enjoy reading your comments. As always, I appreciate all the likes and follows. Don’t forget to subscribe to my email list. Just click on the button above and leave your email address. Also, my courses are out and you can check them out here or above.

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Quitting Is Not An Option

The one thing we must never forget is that quitting is not an option. This is Episode 9 of my Podcast and it comes from my blog post titled, It’s Not About Me, It’s About You. You can’t give up because there are too many people who need to experience your gifts.

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Quitting Is Not An Option

You have so much to give the world. Each one of you was born with gifts inside of you. Everybody has something inside of them that can help someone else. I believe it’s your obligation to pass your gift to others. My gift is motivation. People have told me that I say the right things at the right time and have helped and inspired them. That’s why I started blogging.

If anyone has ever told you that you are good at something, that is your gift. We must continue spreading our gifts and never quit. When things get tough and you’re going through a difficult time, you have to find a way to reach down and fight through because someone, somewhere needs your gift. It’s not about you, it’s about them.

Keep Going, Never Give Up

I will continue to talk to as many people as I can until my last breath. When things aren’t going well, I’ll keep going. When I’m talking and it seems like no one’s listening, I’ll keep talking. I’ll never quit, it’s just not in me. It’s not in you either.

When you want to quit, get out of bed and go do it one more day. Do it the next day and the next until you’ve accomplished the mission. Everyone’s counting on you, so it’s your duty, your obligation to them to get it done. If you quit then you are letting down 7 .8 billion people. That’s a huge burden to have to live with the rest of your life.

Fight

Fight with all your being and when you feel you have nothing left in you, get up and take another swing. Whatever you do, never stop and keep moving forward. Quitting is not an option.

Life is hard and it will hit you in the teeth. It will take you to your knees. Anyone who has gone through life without any kind of struggles hasn’t lived. So when it hits you, hit back, keep hitting back, and keep moving forward. As long as you’re moving forward you’re winning, it doesn’t matter what the score is. There are too many people counting on you. It might hurt and it might be hard but you gotta keep moving forward. It’s not about you, it’s about them.

Warrior Mentality

The warrior mentality, that ability to fight, is in us all. It is there at birth. We are all fighters and a fighter is going to fight. A warrior won’t quit until they’ve won or died. Nothing can stop them. Nothing can stop you. Once you know what you want, go out and get it.

Don’t ever let anyone or anything stop you. You and only you are in control and determine whether you win or lose. You will have successes and you will have failures but you will never quit. Continue to fight and fight and fight until you win. It’s not about you, it’s about them.

80/20 Rule

The 80/20 rule says that 20 percent of the people do 80 percent of the work. I was one of the 20 percent. It was ingrained in me in the military to accomplish the mission, that was the most important thing. Whenever one of my bosses needed something difficult done, they called on me because I always accomplished the mission, no matter how hard. I persevered and wouldn’t quit.

Failure is not an option. You have been given a mission, whatever it may be and you have to do what it takes to accomplish that mission and never quit. It’s not about you, it’s about them.

Final Thoughts

Thank you for listening to, Quitting Is Not An Option – Ep. 09. If you have any comments I would like to hear them. Subscribe to my email list by clicking on the button above and receive my checklist to keep you moving forward in attaining your goals.

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All Aboard!!

“This Train Is Moving on, You Can Get on, You Can Get off, But the Train Keeps Moving on! We Are Going to the Top of the Mountain!”

This article may include affiliate links. http://www.inspirechief.com is a participant of the Amazon.com Services LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases. http://www.inspirechief.com participates in other affiliate programs and receives commissions when purchases are made through the links. This is at no extra cost to you.