Over the weekend the words of this poem somehow made their way to my memory and refused to leave until I had read the words once more and found inspiration. I hope the same happens to all who read the words of this classical piece.

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too,
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream–and not make dreams your master,
If you can think–and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ‘em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on!”

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings–nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much,
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And–which is more–you’ll be a Man, my son!

–Rudyard Kipling

The Climb

On the heels of the world cup we are reminded of a few truths. Hard work and perseverance always goes along in the pursuit of personal and team goals. We were also reminded that a good name does not always equate a great performance especially when your opponents are out to divide and conquer. There are indeed many references that can be drawn from theses 32 games that were highly contested by nations both great and small. Although the spotlight was on them from day to day it also stirred up within supporters great emotions. Being on edge when your favorite player was on the eighteen yard box with the ball at his boot was enough to cause you to leap to your feet with anticipation of a moment of greatness. For some the moments kept coming and coming and coming but for others they were lacking to the extreme. Despite all the lessons to be learned we should all remember that greatness may not always be a single moment but a series of moments linked together to culminate in a great experience. For some it may be the moment leading up to their first job (keeping my fingers crossed) or for others it may the long hours put in hopes of securing a promotion with the corner office and travelling allowance Etc.

Despite your circumstances Spain showed us that a little determination and allot of elbow grease can get you to that spot on top the mountain. So despite the fact that the climb to the top may look insurmountable, be not discouraged for the climb will be worth the effort once you get to the top.

P.S. Success is as much a destination as it is a frame of mind.

Don't Quit

As today is Monday and the start of the first week of the month of July I post this short poem to inspire. This said poem has been on my bedroom wall and has seen me through high school, college, university, and generally the last 10 years of my life.

Its quite easy to learn for those of you have a good memory.


Don't Quit

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don't give up though the pace seems slow--
You may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than,
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up,
When he might have captured the victor's cup,
And he learned too late when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out--
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far,
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit--
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.

Author Unknown