Perseverance.

Only 5 days after being hired as a salesman I was called to a very large commercial bakery and I sat in the entry for almost 20 waiting to meet the buyer. On the wall were various frames with their company motto and vision. They also had the persistence quote from Calvin Coolidge in a large frame. I remember loving it so much I took a picture with my Motorola Q smart phone that took horrible pictures. The next day I realized that same quote was on the wall of the office of our VP of sales. 

As I was new into the professional world, particularly in sales, I didn't realize how much impact that quote would have on me as I continued in my career. I remember thinking back then what President Faust said in his talk entitled "Perseverance" - "What will be my place in this world, and how will I find it?". 

Fast forward 13 years and I have had and seen seemingly countless experiences where persistence and perseverance, or lack of thereof, have been the deciding factors between success and failure. Where losing a bit, or a customer, or feeling defeated and impossibly outmatched have all been experiences that have built character, helped me see the forest through the challenge trees, and given me more grit.

A few additional quotes and thoughts from this week:

-        Make effective choices, NOT longer days

-        Success is about making the right choices

-        It takes a lot of self-belief to fight against the odds

-        A hero’s journey means to “live every moment of your life like it matter, because it does.”