We all strive to achieve our own definition of success and we all get knocked down in that pursuit. Every one of us has been knocked down – and we will be again. It’s the way life is and it won’t change.

The video link below is a great demonstration of just that. More precisely it describes the effects of actions after getting knocked down. It’s a video that went viral via YouTube and is very clear in its demonstration of why we must get up and dust ourselves off when we do get knocked down.

Famous Failures

Of course, perseverance is a quality that we all acknowledge as virtuous. However, the question is, do we really act it. Do we execute it – doggedly?

It is the key to success, as illustrated by the examples in the video clip. It’s not intelligence, it’s not luck, it’s not competence, it’s not education. They are facilitators. It is perseverance. Perseverance driven by passion.

Harlan Sanders (better known as Colonel) never even started the Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) franchise system until he was in the latter half of his sixties. That’s perseverance.

Talking about it and acknowledging its basic truth won’t get it done. Acting it will. In a book titled, If it ain’t broke…BREAK IT!, Robert Kreigel says, “Having passion for what you are doing will prevent you from being stopped by failure and the unexpected roadblocks that are the present-day norm. Passion will make you more motivated to take risks and give you the extra “juice” to keep growing, learning, innovating, and confronting challenges.”

Obviously, the people depicted in the video clip were subscribers to that theory.

So how do we take that thought to the level of execution? Pick a goal, pick a target, pick an event, pick a dream, and dedicate yourself to success. Do it today, not tomorrow. It can be something small but be passionate about its achievement and persevere. And then do it again. It’s that simple.

And, as Winston Churchill said, “Never, never, never, never give up”.