Try Again... And Again... And Again... And again...

Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other. -Abraham Lincoln


I like to go out and do stuff. I like to experience, to take chances, to explore, and challenge myself. It's a rush: that new challenge completed, that new relationship you stumble into, that opportunity that you never thought you'd get that falls into your lap.

However, unfortunately, sometimes these things can fall flat. Relationships can be a bust, a challenge can be uncompleted, opportunities can turn into a let down. The important thing isn't the outcome of these situations, but our attitude and response to them. We have a tendency to become discouraged, to give up, to let our frustrations get the best of us.

A common example of this is dieting. We do our best, eat well, resist those bad cravings.... and then cave. And give up! As if one moment of weakness or failure could truly end tons of past and future hard work. But what if we instead looked at our blunder, accepted it, and set ourselves again to the goal?

This is called perseverance, and it is vital in continuing the human spirit, getting stuff done, and moving forward.

I have had too many bad relationships, too many failures, too many missed opportunities I watched go by. If I let them, they could totally weigh me down, convince me that after all these bad things, what good things could possibly break the pattern.

Instead though, I have made a conscious decision to persevere, to not allow my past downfalls to weigh me down and keep me looking back. And the thing is, I don't just make it once. I have to make it over. And over. And over. And over. Everyday. That's the thing about perseverance, you have to actually persevere in the actual act of it.

The moral of the story is shit keeps happening. ALL the time. Bad things will come. Good things will too. If you're feeling down about failures or missed moments, make a decision that you won't let it affect your attitude and your person. We are much more than what we haven't or couldn't do, or even things we have done.

Keep going. Don't give up. Try, try, try, try, and try again.