Nothing 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 will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are invincible. It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless we live so cautiously that we might as well not have lived at all, in which case, we have failed by default.

We are capable of more than we know. We should choose a goal that seems right for us and strive to be the best, however hard the path; aim high; behave honorably; prepare to be alone at times, and endure failure. Persist! The world needs all  we can give.

Here's an inspiring narrative inspired by the writing of Karim Wasfy  about a man who turned around disappointment and failure into a huge success after realizing that he was capable of achieving more than he knew.

A Jobless man applied for the position of “office boy” at Microsoft. The HR manager interviewed him then watched him cleaning the floor as a test. “You are employed” he said. “Give me your e-mail address and I’ll send you the application to fill in, as well as date when you may start.

The man replied “But I don’t have a computer, neither an email”. “I’m sorry”, said the HR manager. If you don’t have an email, that means you do not exist. And who doesn’t exist, cannot have the job.”

The man left with no hope at all. He didn’t know what to do, with only $10 in his pocket. He then decided to go to the supermarket and buy a 10Kg tomato crate. He then sold the tomatoes in a door to door round. In less than two hours, he succeeded to double his capital. He repeated the operation three times, and returned home with $60.

The man realized that he can survive by this way, and started to go everyday earlier, and return late. Thus, his money doubled or tripled every day. Shortly, he bought a cart, then a truck, and then he had his own fleet of delivery vehicles.

Five years later, the man is one of the biggest food retailers in the US. He started to plan his family’s future, and decided to have a life insurance. He called an insurance broker, and chose a protection plan. When the conversation was concluded the broker asked him his email. The man replied, “I don’t have an email.” The broker answered curiously, “You don’t have an email, and yet have succeeded to build an empire. Can you imagine what you could have been if you had an e mail?!!” The man thought for a while and replied, “Yes, I’d be an office boy at Microsoft!”

Success is not built on success. It's built on failure. It's built on frustration. Sometimes it is built on catastrophe. Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.

By Tim Pedrosa


   

Tim