Did you ever think that all of
great heroes we read about may not have been particularly great men in and of themselves? They may not have been born with any great skills, talents or abilities. But, each of them did have one special quality that we would all do well to cultivate. A Tough Nut To Crack!
Because of my passion for recording and singing I've had opportunity to meet some really famous people. And, one thing I have discovered about these people is that they have a "never say quit philosophy." They have a bull dog tenacity that would make a snapping turtle jealous.
A side thought just in case you have never heard; saying goes that a snapping turtle, if it bites you, won't let go till it thunders. I don't know if it is true or not and couldn't care less because I don't let snapping turtles bite me. So, back to my point.
Live And Learn!
The stories I have been told by these famous people is sometimes shocking and very inspiring. I won't mention any names but one in particular comes to mind. See if you can relate to this tragedy to triumph.
His passion was for music, as mine is, and during early years of his struggle, to reach top, he lived in an apartment with no bathroom. After a short while he got kicked out, which he says was not a big loss; then he lived in a convertible automobile with a leaky top.
He literally and he truthfully swears he lived off of cat food in a can for a year. It took him almost twenty years to have his first number one hit. And, that means twenty years of playing honky tonks for peanuts with no success any where in sight.
Never Look Back!
His story really made me think; how much do we really want success? How much blood are we willing to give? What kind of a price are you willing to pay for that elusive dream that captivates and mesmerizes you?
For my friend that I've mentioned, there was no price too great, no sacrifice too large, no limits he placed on himself, except for breaking law, he never crossed that line, but he was willing to pull out all stops to have what he dreamed.
His Goose Is Cooked!
His father even tried to bribe him with money to forget crazy notion of pursuing music. He decided to stay in his leaky roof convertible and, he said by that time, he had started to like cat food. Yuk! His father said; dumb decision boy!
His father asked him; ok, how long are you going to pursue this? He told his father he had placed a limit on timeframe and said that it was one hundred years. If he didn't succeed after one hundred years he would quit. His father said; dumb decision boy!
Pinch Me To See If I'm Dreaming!
I tell you this story not to insinuate that this is kind of life a person must endure in order to have great success. But, to share with you that here was an ordinary person with no extra special gifts, just a never quitting attitude, that caused him to be living his dream today.
If there is any quality that separates successful person from failure, it is persistence; Not talent, not ability, not education. And over and over I have been told by some big name people how hard struggles were to reach top.
