A step by step tool for top achievers

8. The Power of Persistence
Nothing will take the place of persistence. Talent will not : Nothing is more common than
unsuccessful people with talent . Genius will not : Unrewarded genius is a proverb.
Education will not: The world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination
alone are omnipotent.
--Calvin Coolidge
The journey to being your best is not easy. It is full of setbacks. Winners have the ability
to overcome and bounce back with even greater resolve.
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.
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 had he stuck it out.
Don't give up though the pace seems slow
You may succeed with another blow.
Success is 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 mustn't quit.

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Fritz Kreisler, the great violinist, was once asked, "How do you play so well? Are you
lucky?" He replied, "It is practice. If I don't practice for a month, the audience can tell the
difference. If I don't practice for a week, my wife can tell the difference. If I don't practice
for a day, I can tell the difference."
Persistence means commitment and determination. There is pleasure in endurance.
Commitment and persistence is a decision. Athletes put in years of practice for a few
seconds or minutes of performance.
Persistence is a decision. It is a commitment to finish what you start. When we are
exhausted, quitting looks good. But winners endure. Ask a winning athlete. He endures
pain and finishes what he started. Lots of failures have begun well but have not
concluded anything. Persistence comes from purpose. Life without purpose is drifting. A
person who has no purpose will never persevere and will never be fulfilled.