Don't quit

This morning while I was running on the track at the local high school, I saw a very cool banner that stated:

"The sweetest rewards often come after the greatest temptation to quit."

How true this is. Oftentimes, I think that we are tested before we achieve success to make sure that we are:
1. ready for it and
2. willing to do what it takes to get it.

I believe that when much is given, much is required, so we need to prove ourselves ready to give before we can receive. We need to plod through the failures in order to achieve greatness.

Of course, we all have examples of that natural athlete in school who could perform feats of magic on the field without really trying, but those natural athletes don't amount to much unless they are companions with hard work. Because I'm originally from Chicago, Michael Jordan comes to mind. He was certainly a natural, but he combined that raw talent with a whole lot of hard work. He was the first and the last on the court. He practiced over and over and over again. And he also failed. "I missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games, 26 times I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed." (Michael Jordan) What I find interesting is that we don't remember those 26 times that he missed the game winning shot. We only remember those beautiful shots that swished at the buzzer. And so it is in our own lives. Others don't usually remember the times we've failed. (Of course, we think that everyone does.) They remember the success. Another example that struck me recently is CD Muckosky. She applied to be in the CK Hall of Fame and was rejected. She submitted layouts to be published and was denied. Then she applied to Scrapbooker of the Year and won. She never quit.

So if your heart tells you to keep going, but the temptation to quit is great, just keep putting one foot in front of the other. Don't quit. Success will come. I know it.

Here is a recent layout I did on this subject.

And a closeup so you can maybe read the journaling.