Winning Ways: What Tenacity Will Do For You

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“Look at a stone cutter hammering away at his rock, perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundred-and-first blow, it will split in two, and I know it was not the last blow that did it, but all that had gone before” -Jacob A. Riis

Great accomplishments do not come easy. Greatness is not attained on a silver platter. Beneath that global brand and that remarkable feats are men and women who put their minds to work and put their shoulders to the wheel amidst significant odds. The tenacity of these persons yields these enviable dividends.

Your dreams and aspirations are definitely within reach, yet the route towards the same can immobilize the faint-hearted.  You will need to set your gaze in the direction of your goals and put in the much-needed work to ensure they see the light of day. Difficult moments will by all means come and the temptation to quit will be the more alluring in the face of setbacks, failures, monumental challenges and sometimes the absence of the minutest signals of progress being made.

It was B. C. Forbes who once noted: “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.” 

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Walt Disney, the billionaire cartoonist, and entrepreneur dropped out of school at age 16 and was fired from his job at age 18. The first two businesses he started failed. He went bankrupt five times. His pitch for the cartoon character, Micky Mouse was rejected as much as 300 times (some sources claim). For more about the Walt Disney story: http://the-artifice.com/walt-disney-story/

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Jack Ma, the billionaire and founder (and president) of Alibaba Group was saddled with the misfortune of being turned down from enrollment at Harvard on ten consecutive occasions. At one point in his life, he found it difficult landing a job, after scores of job applications and interviews. His persistence eventually paid off in a big way. Read more about the inspiring story of Jack Ma here: http://www.businessinsider.com/the-inspiring-life-story-of-alibaba-founder-jack-ma-2014-10?IR=T

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The story is also told of how Thomas A. Edison, the famed prolific inventor only succeeded at inventing electric light after what is estimated at a thousand failed attempts. Now, this is a classical instance of tenacity - sheer doggedness. The average person under similar circumstances would have called it quits. It is also interesting to note that, Thomas Edison is credited with hundreds of inventions. More on the Thomas E. Edison story: http://www.thomasedison.com/biography.html

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J. K. Rowlin, the millionaire and award-winning author of the “Harry Potter series” faced a long streak of disappointments in her bid to publish her first manuscript. As many as 12 publishing companies rejected her manuscript. A publisher eventually agreed to publish her work, howbeit reluctantly. Her published novel soon became a best-seller. This marked the beginning of her glory days as an intentionally celebrated novelist. For more on the J. K. Rowlin story, check this out: http://callingdreams.com/success-story-of-jk-rowling/

The list is endless of the many who have chalked phenomenal feats in spite of a multiplicity of setbacks and failures. For such individuals, tenacity became their game plane and it never let them down. It was B. F. Skinner who once aptly noted, “A failure is not always a mistake. It may simply be the best one can do under the circumstances. The real mistake is to stop trying.” 

Discouragement and despondency should not be given domicile. You might have failed in the past but that should not deter you from pursuing your dreams and aspirations. When knocked down, get right back on your feet more determined to see your dreams come to fruition. Change strategies and tactics if need be. Keep your gaze on that goal nonetheless.

Remain in hot pursuit of your dream job. Continue to submit job applications. Don`t get weary of attending job interviews. Don`t give up on that noble cause. Don`t quit your marriage as yet. Remain tenacious in the pursuit of your career goals and life goals. In the words of Og  Mandino, “I will persist until I succeed. Always will I take another step; If that is of no avail I will take another, and yet another. In truth, one step at a time is not too difficult. I know that small attempts, repeated, will complete any undertaking.” And Mandino is so right on point. Tenacity is a buddy, not a foe. Latch unto it. And it will most certainly take you places beyond your wildest dreams.

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Written by Daniel Dela Dunoo

(Freelance writer/editor, blogger & published author)

Email: dudelda3@yahoo.com / danieldeladunoo@gmail.com