Persistence

Every living soul on this planet faces challenges every day. And how well a person responds against challenges will determine how far he can move on in life.

"In the Orient young bulls are tested for the fight arena in a certain manner. Each is brought to the ring and allowed to attack a picador who pricks them with a lance. The bravery of each bull is then rated with care according to the number of times he demonstrates his willingness to charge in spite of the sting of the blade. Henceforth will I recognize that each day I am tested by life in like manner. If I persist, if I continue to try, if I continue to charge forward, I will succeed."

Life is full of mysteries. You'll never know what you're going to get, until you've got it. You'll never know when you're going to succeed, until you've succeeded. Thus the strategy is to keep taking the next step until you've reached your goal.

"The prizes of life are at the end of each journey, not near the beginning; and it is not given to me to know how many steps are necessary in order to reach my goal. Failure I may still encounter at the thousandth step, yet success hides behind the next bend in the road. Never will I know how close it lies unless I turn the corner.

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."

A Chinese proverb says, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." A small simple effort, repeated over time, will eventually lead to a huge achievement. When you start losing patience, remember that Rome wasn't built in a day.

"Henceforth, I will consider each day's effort as but one blow of my blade against a mighty oak. The first blow may cause not a tremor in the wood, nor the second, nor the third. Each blow, of itself, may be triffling, and seem of no consequence. Yet from childish swipes the oak will eventually tumble. So it will be with my efforts of today.

I will be liken to the raindrop which washes away the mountain; the ant who devours a tiger; the star which brightens the earth; the slave who builds a pyramid. I will build my castle one brick at a time for I know that small attempts, repeated, will complete any undertaking."

Persist, and you will succeed.