“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan ‘Press On!’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.” | Calvin Coolidge
One of my favorite anecdotes from my time in London was taking a train with a ticket master who was a youth player at Chelsea football club. He grew up playing with John Terry – who’d go on to become a club legend.
I asked him what it was like to play with JT. He went on to share that JT was not the most talented youth player on the team – not by a distance.
However, what he had was a tremendous amount of mental strength and persistence. Sadly, the most talented players in the club were either in jail or had wasted away their talent with excess. But John Terry’s mental strength carried him through.
Persistence and determination matter.
