DON'T stop where you are!

Most of us may be familiar with the story of Thomas Edison, the man who invented a light bulb. Edison understood perfectly that failure is just a step in the ladder to success, rather than the opposite of success. It was said that he failed 9,999 times before he succeeded in inventing the light bulb on his 10,000th attempt. Yet, he never accepted failure, instead he regarded it as failed attempts. This positive mindset of Edison gave human kind the light bulb and changed the course of our destiny forever.

Only if we know that success at times is closer to us than it seems, we would hold on!!! From Napoleon Hill's "Think and Grow Rich" story of the gold digger who went digging for gold. He dug and dug and finally gave up, saying that there was no more gold to be found. He sold his gold digging equipment and then went home. The person who bought his stuff continued to dig and JUST three feet from where the first gold digger gave up, this guy struck gold. In fact, the gold he struck was one of the richest veins of gold ever found during the gold digging era. What a shame that the first guy who spent more time and energy digging lost out on such success because he gave up. His failure was not in his inability to find gold but in his giving up too soon. Think of it, have you too ever given up too soon, just maybe.......? 

This brings to memory the story of 'Omoye: a child like me' one of the super story series by Wale Adenuga. Omoye, a brilliant child, gave up on the right ways to acquire money to pay for her Senior School Certificate Examination. She eventually made the wrong choice that made her pregnant and subsequently led to the abortion which caused her death. Just after the weekend she passed on, the school (unaware that Omoye was dead) offered a scholarship to pay not just her SSCE fee but also sponsor her undergraduate studies. Unfortunately, Omoye was nowhere, her life came to an end because she gave up on other positive possible ways too soon. Don't ever get crushed under the weight of your defeat, life offers us a hundred new opportunities, keep moving!

Don't ever say, 'you are done' out of frustration. Learn from the failing situation and move on.  Don't give up, always remember 'live moves on and so should we' (Spencer Johnson).  Just as the night is always darkest before dawn and the start of a new day, so also our greatest failures come just before our greatest successes. You may not be where you want to be but if you keep moving, you will be closer than you were yesterday.  Finally, don't stop where you are! When you feel like stopping, choose to say like the song writer; I won't give up, yes I won't give up, I will keep pressing on until my help comes. Though it may tarry I will wait, it lingers I will wait, I won't give up on you Lord.

    
Success is failure turned inside out and you can never know how close you are to it. Success may be close when it seems afar, so stick to the action when you're hardest hit, for it's when things seem tough that you must not quit. (Anonymous)