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"When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on."

-Franklin D. Roosevelt

Today, I was reading through The Best Way Out is Always Through by BJ Gallagher, because I was thinking of the best time of year to share some posts about perseverance. I realized that pretty much any time of year is a good time, since every season brings both joys and hardships. With that in mind, here's a poem from BJ's book called, "No Surrender":

When you believe in yourself,

in your personal potential,

in your own future,

you have no choice-

surrender is not an option.

There's nothing to do

but continue.

Sometimes you want to give up,

but you can't-

something deep inside

won't let you.

No white flags,

no bailing out,

no throwing in the towel

for you.

You have to keep going;

you must carry on;

you just take the next step...

and the next...

and the next...

Here's a story that Mac shared in a blog post last month out of his book, The Power of Attitude. Mac told you about Derrick Redmond, an athlete who ran the 400 meter race in the 1992 Olympics, and ripped his hamstring, collapsing on the track. Read here for the rest of the story. Anyway, I was thinking about that story when I came across this video on Youtube:

While I think this describes love perfectly, I also see how it describes perseverance, too. Derrick could have easily lay down on the track, waiting for a stretcher. Instead, he got up and (in excruciating pain) finished the race. That story powerfully illustrates the power of perseverance.

What times have you persevered? Are there times when you wish you had stuck with it, but you didn't? What was the consequence? Who is the most resilient person you know? What inspires you to keep going through trials and difficulties?

Here's a short movie about a man who may not have had great amounts of money or valuables...but was still the "richest man in town:"

Who's the richest person you know?

Thank you to Margaret Spielman for today's touching story. Every so often, we like to share stories that we receive via our "Submit your Story" page (if you have one you'd like to share, do please send it on over!).

If I asked you all where you were on September 11, 2001, I am sure we can all remember EXACTLY what we were doing. However, if I asked you where you were on February 17, 1996 at 6:30pm, I am sure most of you can't remember and you probably shouldn't. However, for me that was the day I got the call that my son had a disability. Tomorrow is our 13 year anniversary of his diagnosis. I find it strange to even think about it because usually it's not really on my mind. This year is different. Maybe it's because I am a new mom and I worry about how to raise a typical child or maybe it's because I had to revisit those memories today. As I sit here, I look back at the girl I was and now the woman he has helped me to become. All the opportunities that have been afforded to me because of his disability and the great strides he has made not because I am his mother, but because of the great team of teachers, doctors, friends, family and community partners that joined me in deciding that pretty good wasn't enough for him. Everyone has played a part in his success. They have taken the attitude that failure is not an option and that if we expect greatness, he will most certainly give it.

When asked to describe him today I said he is the child that has the faith of a mustard seed, the courage of a lion, and an unconditional love for ALL people! Is he perfect?....NO; difficult at times?.....YES; worth it?......DEFINITELY!!!! So as I awaken in the morning, I will remember that 13 years ago God revealed to me through my son the beginning of the plans for me that he spoke about in Jeremiah. I will remember that in my brokenness he was able to bring forth in me courage, faith, determination, compassion and love. I will give thanks for all that he has done in my life and Hunter's and for what he has promised to do. Last but not least, I will take a moment to give thanks and love to my child for never letting me stay at the pity party too long, for reminding me that life is hard but giving up is not an option, and that any limitations that are put on him were not set by him but by others who saw his disability as a weakness. I will thank him for the joy, unconditional love, courage, determination, faith, compassion and patience that he freely gives to ALL with whom he comes in contact and that he graciously gives to me.

As I close I want to share a story with you. Years ago when I worked at a bank, I would go to the top floor of the parking deck and sit in a corner to eat my lunch. It was quiet there and I could relax and just enjoy the weather without having to entertain anyone. One day while eating I dropped a piece of a crunchy Cheeto on the ground beside me. I went about eating my lunch and decided to pick it up after I was finished. However, there was an ant that had different plans. I sat there and watched as a small ant came out of a tiny crack in the concrete and picked up that piece of Cheeto. The Cheeto was significantly larger than the ant, but he picked it up and began to take it back to his home. As he arrived at the entrance he found that the Cheeto was slightly larger than the crack, so he began to work with it. He moved the Cheeto around to different angles until he finally got it in. I thought this was amazing so I told one of my friends. I then asked this question, "How can an itty bitty ant pick up a big ole piece of Cheeto?" Expecting to hear the scientific explanation, I waited. He replied, "No one ever told him he couldn't!" I thought about what he said and I knew he was right!! There was no one there who said, "Oh, you are too small; you can't do that!" or "You need to just leave that there and let the bigger, more experienced ants get it!" He did it because failure was not an option. He did it because he believed that greatness comes when you stop saying that things are impossible and start saying, I'm Possible!!

To finish off this week in values, I'd like to introduce John Blumberg, author of Good to the Core. John has first hand experience with corporate accountability through his work at the accounting firm Arthur Andersen. As you may know, they went through a bit of a values challenge...and John was right there to help.

Drawing from his ethics training, John takes these lofty ideas of corporate accountability and brings them down to the everyday level, where everyday people like you and me can apply them to our lives. If you'd like to see what he has to say, check out his blog. I highly recommend it. In fact, here's a video from his series based on our book, Good to the Core:

Think about a time when someone was living out their core values. What did that look like? What about when someone wasn't living out their core values?

"Talk is cheap because supply exceeds demand." This proverb proves true more often than we would like...at least it does for me! We want healthy food but eat fast food. We want to become more educated, but watch T.V. when we could be studying a new subject. We feel motivated to follow our dreams, but we get distracted along the way.

I think that, in the corporate world especially, lacking follow through on commitments can be hazardous. With Toyota's recent confessions, I have a harder time feeling the same about my car (and I'm a loyal Toyota driver!). So, we can all remember other times when our confidence in something dropped because of unfulfilled expectations. It's not something that's unique to Toyota, Honda, or other car companies, it affects all companies.

Here's a story that I think captures the phrase "practicing what you preach". It's one that I've shared before, but it just strikes me at the core when I think of responsibility. If you like this story, by the way, you'll have to check out John Blumberg's book, Good to the Core. It's full of stories about people following through on their commitments and ideals.

So, what are your values that you hold on to? What commitments have you placed #1 in your life, and why?