Sunday, January 2, 2011

never, never, never give up

If there is one thing I have learned, it's that quiters never win and winners never quit.
This proved true two weeks ago when my high school dance team earned a state championship title.
This was one of the most satisfying moments of my life knowing that all of our hard work paid off and we never quit or lost sight of our goal.
I loved sharing that with the thirteen other members of my dance team and the coaches whose determination helped get us there. It was a once in a lifetime feeling.

One of my favorite quotes comes from a man that isn't on my list of people to love.
"If you run you stand a chance of losing, but if you don't run you've already lost." - Barack Obama.

Every successful person interviewed talks about failure as a huge part of their success.  I used to be afraid of failure.  Terrified that I only had one chance to make it or break it, but as I go through life I find that is not true. 
Success without failure, I feel, isn't very well deserved.  In my experience, it feels so much better to have tasted the dirt and be thrown down before you get to the top. 
“You measure the size of the accomplishment by the obstacles you had to overcome to reach your goals.”
– Booker T. Washington

I have crazy aspirations for my life. None of them are realistic, but realistic is boring.  I don't want my life to be boring.  I want it to be a life well lived because, after all, I only get one. 

Some of you,  whomever may be reading this, are probably wondering what a "young punk" like me is doing giving older wiser people advice.
I'm just taking advice that older, wiser people have given to me so that I don't make the same mistakes they did.
I figure it can't hurt.

I will leave you (again, whomever may be reading this) with this though provoking quote:


“Cultivate your desire for success to be greater than the fear of failure; Failure is merely a pitstop between where you stand and success. Failure allows you to learn the fastest; Failure inspires winners and defeats losers.”
– Fran Tarkenton

I hope this inspired you. Inspired you to not give up, or to not be afraid of failure, or to push the extra mile to be successful, or maybe just to follow me. :)

Whatever your journey, I hope it is a long and happy one.

God bless.

1 comment:

maya said...

hello Anna..I am probably just a bit older than yet you inspired me, thank you. I am dealing exactly with the issue of fear of failure and especially tonight reading your quotes and thoughts was something I needed. I also blog and have that feeling of (if anyone is reading this) so I thought it'd be nice to let you know that your words reach out in ways you won't even imagine. :)