per·sist [per-sist]
verb (used without object)
1. to continue steadfastly or firmly in some state, purpose, course of action, or the like, especially in spite of opposition, remonstrance, etc.
2. to last or endure tenaciously
“Never give in — never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.” – Winston Churchill
Speech given at Harrow School, Harrow, England, October 29, 1941. Quoted in Churchill by Himself (2008), ed. Langworth, PublicAffairs, 2008, p. 23 ISBN 1586486381
Greetings Dear Readers 
I’m back Last week’s post was derailed due to apathy and the rather poor lack of support shown to my request for comments last post the combination of which left me somewhat uninspired and lacking in blog writing motivation 
After the fantastic opening salvo above , courtesy of Mr Churchill, you’ll doubtless not be surprised to hear that I’ve now made a full recovery
So this week you get to hear about what is, imho, the single most important quality you need to succeed (aka have fun) in life – persistence
I heard a story many years ago about a tribe of Native Americans that has stayed with me ever since. I don’t recollect the original source but you can find it online in a number of forms. To save you the trouble of Googling it I’ll share it with you here
“It was a time of drought, a time of despair.
Across the land the tribes were suffering and they turned to their medicine men for guidance. They instructed the tribes to perform the ritual of the rain dance, to appease the spirits and bring forth the rains. And so they danced, sometimes for hours, sometimes for days but to no avail.
Hope was raised once more as word came of a tribe who never failed to make it rain and finally a decision was made to track down the by now legendary tribe and ask for their aid.
After many days of travel they found the tribe and upon meeting with the chief they asked “What is the secret of your success? How is it that you never fail to make it rain?”
The chief smiled and replied “There is no secret. We simply dance until it rains.”
So there you have it. As Winston so wisely says never, never, never, never give in You may need to pause and refuel, to alter your course due to unforeseen obstacles or occurrences, but whatever happens never, never, never, never quit Stay the course, hold the line and you will succeed Just remember to enjoy the journey
Click to enlarge
It’s late on Saturday evening now and I’ve got an early start tomorrow – Chest and Biceps beckon – so I’m going to sign off for now. Next week, for those of you who find stories of Native Americans a bit inaccessible and to give me something to write about I’ll share with you how I’ve incorporated this week’s wisdom into my own life Be excited, but first hit the ‘Like’ button on the left please
