The Gift of Perserverance

Nothing in the world can take the place of perseverance. Calvin Coolidge

Good Morning! When I was seventeen I was a sophomore in college at UW-Milwaukee. I worked full time five days per week at a Big Boy restaurant on Kilbourn street in Milwaukee. Tuesday’s and Thursday’s I had off from work and on those days I walked to campus where I fit in a full course load between 9AM and 9PM. The employee break room at the restaurant was like many diner break rooms-kind of dark and cluttered. Amidst the clutter was an old brown piece of wood with a fake-gold plaque mounted on it. The plaque read:

Nothing in the world can take the place of perseverance. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. Calvin Coolidge

As a young teen, I know many people thought I would not succeed in life. I even read the magazines that shared statistics of how “un-bright” my future looked. These people and the “accredited news magazines” relied on “facts” some of which included: being raised in a single parent home (my dad left when I was eight-months old), being in a small town, being in “poverty” (while other people had more money, I dare you to find a house equal in love). These sources relied on statistics, I relied on heart.

The first time I read that quote I remember deciding it needed to be polished and dusted. I carefully cleaned it, reading it a second time, and then gave it a more prominent position in the break room. I read that quote many times over during every break I had. While I may not have been raised with every advantage in the world, I was taught the biggest advantage of all: Nothing in the world can take the place of perseverance.

Your Turn: Are there any areas of your life where you think “you can’t” because statistically you don’t have the best odds? How would embracing the idea  “Nothing in the world can take the place of perseverance” change your actions and possibly your results?

Today’s Affirmation: Nothing in the world can take the place of perseverance. I persevere.


Comments

The Gift of Perserverance — 6 Comments

  1. Brook, Thank you so much for this message this morning. I really needed it because I was at the end of my rope. Whining about my situation will not help me. Taking action will. My hat is off to you for all that you have accomplished. You offer hope and solutions to the challenges we all encounter. I persevere in the midst of the challenges I face both externally and internally.

  2. This “Good Morning” really touched my heart. Persevering has been the story of my life for the past year. In that year I have (My husband and I), put most of my Mother’s possessions in storage and moved the rest in with us. My Mother has Alzheimer’s. One month after accomplishing that feat, I had a double mastectomy and partial reconstruction surgery. July of last year I started chemotherapy and will complete those treatments in September. From December through February I endured 33 radiation treatments. Thankfully, God has blessed me with a perservering spirit and an extremely supportive church. Typing this out it sounds unbearable. But living it has not been as tough as it sounds. During this time I have also made 3 mission trips to Haiti. Volunteered as a youth advisor, volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, been active with the women’s organization of our church, and volunteered at the local homeless shelter.
    I am thankful for the many blessings God has given me even through the hard times.

    thanks for listening

    Sherry

  3. It is Good Morning messages like this one that change my outlook on the day and my future! Thank you.

  4. I really took today’s affirmation to heart. I did not grow up with alot of things but I did grow up with alot of love and support. My Mother always encouraged me in all my endeavours which always made me want to try new things. She would tell me that failures were just meant to be chances until we got it right. I will persevere in this journey I am taking in making today matter!

  5. I too have accomplished things I never thought I could. I was so driven. I once took a tickler book at work with thousands of pages and looked at each and every entry which took me a couple of months. I handed over my department’s duties as I was being displaced as clean and crisp as I could make it. The cooperation with the other
    “market” was so loving. I held nothing back. I was rewarded not in money but in the fact that I DID IT! What was the main description of these actions….perserverance.

  6. In response to Sherri (#2)
    Hats off to Sherri. You are living this message as much as anyone could. The three trips to Haiti in the midst of everything you faced blew me away. Thank you for sharing. I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers.

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