Most days I go to the campus gym first thing in the morning. Pete is usually never far behind me.
Pete looks to be in his 80s. He walks with a very pronounced limp. It’s not easy for him to get around. Yet, there he is most every day. He lifts weights. He does walking laps in the shallow end of the pool. None of this is easy for him.
One very cold morning last week it was a dark day with freezing rain. It was one of those days when anyone who had a choice might just decide to stay in bed, eat popcorn, and watch reruns of NCIS in a warm house. But not Pete – he was at the gym.
Anytime I think about being a slug and not starting the day at the gym, I think of Pete. In fact, recently, every time I hit some kind of a roadblock and think about quitting, I think of Pete. Because Pete knows that persistence is one of the things that separates the good from the great.
Former President Calvin Coolidge said it well:
“Nothing in the world will 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 omnipotent. The slogan “Press On” has solved and will always solve the problems of the human race.”
“Press On” with your 2017 Goals for more of a Mission Impact!
