Og Mandino, one of my all-time favorite American writers said, "I will persist until I succeed." When I lived in New Jersey, I volunteered my time to work with the youth in the community. The group gave presentations, listened, and held open discussion forums for teens. The program fulfilled several needs in the community. I participated because I believe the organizers got it right; modeling is one of the best ways to instill excellence into anyone's life.

One of the leaders in this group had a saying, "It's not about the falling down; it's always about the getting back up." None of us is perfect. We're going to make mistakes. We're going to mess up. There are going to be hurt feelings along the way. However, if we are of the mindset that in the end, I will succeed it will be easy to find the unlimited possiblities in our choices.

I encourage you to examine the times when you got back up vs. the times when you decided to give up. Why was it easier to persist and what made you decide to press on?

May you persist until you succeed on your upside journey for that is the stuff great leaders are made of!