Perseverance

Through such tragedy and loss, greatness can still be found. Remember always, to persevere, persist, and hope. One day you just might reach your dream, but only if you never gave up.

clipped from www.lead-america.org At the age of seven, a young boy and his family were forced out of their home. The boy had to work to support his family. At the age of nine, his mother passed away. When he grew up, the young man was keen to go to law school, but had no education. At 22, he lost his job as a store clerk. At 23, he ran for state legislature and lost. The same year, he went into business. It failed, leaving him with a debt that took him 17 years to repay. At 27, he had a nervous breakdown. By 35, he had been defeated twice running for Congress. Finally, he managed to secure a brief term in Congress, but at 39, he lost his reelection bid. At 41, his four-year-old son died. At 42, he was rejected as a prospective land officer. At 45, he ran for the Senate and lost. Two years later, he lost the vice presidential nomination. At 49, he ran for the Senate and lost again. At 51, he was elected president of the United States of America. The man in question: Abraham Lincoln.