Don't quit
Never give up on your dreams
Nothing in the world 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 are omnipotent. The slogan “press on” has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race. (John) Calvin Coolidge
It was the end of my fourth pre-season training with Hawthorn, the VFL club I had gone to at the age of seventeen. It was the last practice game before the start of the season proper, and there were a few things that happened that day that made me decide to quit. I had suddenly come to the belief that there was very little opportunity for me at that club. So I left the club and played football that year in a minor league while I finished my degree at university.
It is a decision that I have always regretted, and will for the rest of my life. Playing football was my great passion in life, and Hawthorn was a great club to be playing football for. The previous year, my last at the club, they had been VFL premiers, and also won the Australian Football Championship at the end of that year. But it wasn't just the success that made it a good club to be at, it was the culture being created at the club that resulted in the success.
In the book Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill reported that more than five hundred of the most successful men in the US had told him that their greatest successes came "just one step beyond the point at which defeat had overtaken them". But they pressed on regardless and enjoyed their greatest successes.
Don't quit. This is the same message you will get from many of the most successful people on the planet. Have a look at this video and listen to what these famous and successful people have to say in 'The Most Motivating Video for Success.’ here.
When your kids are a little older, when you think they will be old enough to understand the messages in this video, make sure they understand the importance of having a passion for what you do in life, and tell them to never give up on their dreams, don't ever quit.
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