Persistence

The Fall 2015 issue of Haverford Magazine tells the story of Emily Tuckman.  Her passion is acting.  She knew that was  not a sensible career, so after college she got a job at a nonprofit organization.  However, her passion still called her.  She got a master's degree in theater education and became a drama teacher.  Still, that was not the same as acting, and her passion still called her.  She continued teaching, but also did some acting and started a theater company.  She was drawn more to the theater company work than to the teaching work.  She wanted to do more with theater.  One of her students told her "You need to think about your future and your passion...that's the lesson you want to give us."  She quit teaching.  She went to a lot of auditions.  She estimates the rejection rate at the auditions is 90%.  But she keeps going.  But still she keeps going. 

The same issue also profiles Charles Wurster, who was involved in getting DDT banned, and recently published a book about those efforts.  He says that can be learned from the experience was, "When you get thrown out of court, you don't go away, you go back and knock again.  You keep banging on the system."

The people who succeed are the ones who keep going in the face of repeated failures. 

I just don't have that kind of persistence.