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| Source: Image courtesy of Danilo Rizutti |
Of all the many simple tokens, one has put so much tears to my eyes as I reminisce the past. It is a book mark given to me by my mom. On it is a beautiful piece of poetry entitled, “DON’T QUIT” written by an anonymous person.
Although, most of us may already know the poem, let me share it with my readers in the form of this slide show.
Are you going to quit now?....
The poem has touched my life so tremendously, especially during the most difficult times, when I felt like the world had turned its back on me.
We all have our share of the best and the worst. And at times when we have to struggle and climb our own mountains, there is a point when we just want to leave what we have to face alone and just leave everything behind. As if we would just like the world to stop. We sometimes try to stop our own little world to revolve expecting that the whole world would follow, and yet, as we open our eyes to what is real, the world turns around as it should no matter how we try with tears in our eyes to stop it.
For so many reasons, giving up would
be so good to do. And yet, if we try to think more deeply, there could
just be total void in our life if we choose to give up. There is always
uncertainty in keeping on but it is far better to continue struggling
looking for what’s next than to give up and grope in the dark knowing
that in the middle of uncertainty, one has not given himself A CHANCE to
try harder to achieve what he is hoping to happen.
NEVER GIVE UP!
I want to share this story which may become a reason why one should choose to hold on. This is a true to life struggle by a man that everyone may even know. And honestly, I read his story every time failures overcome me.
William: The Candle and Soap Maker
William was a young boy who had to leave his home at the age of 16 because his father could no longer afford to take care of their family’s needs. All his family knew was to make homemade candles and soaps that they try to sell at the market. If they were lucky, they could bring home some food for the day for the whole family, but most of the time they were not that lucky enough. If he stayed home, he might just be an extra “workload” for his family, so he decided to leave.
*As he left home, he met an old neighbor who asked him where he was going, and he just said, “I do not know. But my father is too poor to keep me at home and I already need to make a living for myself.” The old man said, “There is no trouble with that, be sure you start right, and you’ll get along fine.” William told him that the only trade he knew was soap and candle making. The old man said, “Well, let me pray with you once more and give you a little advice, then I’ll let you go.”
They both kneeled down in silent prayer and after that, the old man gave his advice: *”Someone will soon be the leading soap maker in New York. It can be YOU as well as ANYONE. BE A GOOD MAN, GIVE YOUR LIFE TOTALLY TO CHRIST, AND PAY THE LORD ALL THAT BELONGS TO HIM BEGINNING WITH YOUR TITHE WITH EVERY DOLLAR YOU EARN. Make an HONEST SOAP, give a FULL POUND, and I’m certain, you will yet be a prosperous and rich man.”
William went to the city but it was difficult for him to land a job as he was only 16 and he is not educated. He remembered his mother’s and his old friend’s advice to SEEK GOD AND GIVE HIS LIFE TO HIM. Soon he landed a job that gave him a very low salary, yet he NEVER FAILED to give GOD his portion. Soon, he found regular employment and became a business partner. In a few years time, he became the sole owner of his own business.
As he became prosperous and richer, he never forgot his promise to never stop giving what is due to GOD and to dedicate his whole life to HIM. He made an HONEST SOAP, and even instructed his book keeper to open a bank account solely for GOD.
William truly prospered, he and his family was so blessed not only with material wealth but with the chance to spend all the time to be together again. William is now a very famous man… he has made his name a word that will never fail to ring a bell, because he is WILLIAM COLGATE, now a household name!
Never give up… never lose hope…
“Sometimes, I go about pitying myself… and all the while I am being carried across the sky by BEAUTIFUL CLOUDS…” (Ojibway Indian Expression)
There could never be any doubt for the arrival of success to people who never stop dreaming and working for their dreams to come true as long as they never stop walking hand in hand with GOD as they walk their own road of struggles. One should never put in his head his own inadequacies and limitations. For in HIM, there could never be an impossible thing to those who never stop trying hard to achieve their dreams. Dreams do come true to those who never quit and at the same time put all their faith in GOD that HE WILL ALWAYS BE THERE TO LIGHT THEIR PATH IN THEIR DARKEST NIGHTS. It is a fact that we are more blessed to realize how God lovingly keep us in his care in our most trying times. That as we look back to our stormiest days, we realize that these were the days that we’ve been taken cared of a million more times by the ONE WHO WILL ALWAYS BE THERE IN OUR BEST AND WORST. It is a sad reality that we fail to realize all these things when our own storms overcome us.
Never give up, because it is not really the outcome of what we do that makes us a true winner. It is how we deal along with life as we struggle for our dreams to come true that truly makes us a better and sturdier person. It is what really makes us a winner. After all, it is better to fail trying hard to achieve our dreams than to fail because we never tried.
Here's another short story of a TRUE WINNER...
In 1992, DEREK REDMOND became so popular and from then on looked upon by many. Not because he became a champion in the Olympics but because of how he managed his own fight.
In life, WE DON’T LOSE WHEN WE BECOME THE SECOND, THE THIRD OR EVEN THE LAST… WE LOSE WHEN WE GIVE UP!
WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU WANT SOMETHING?...
As I closed my “memory” box, my eyes were filled with tears knowing I am blessed all the time. In most of my life’s struggles, these simple reminders have made me so sturdy enough to face the world. Thanks to the people who came into my life and left footprints that will always be a part of my very soul. Thanks most of all to HIM who walks with me all the days of my life. Deep in my heart, I know why I NEVER AND WILL NEVER GIVE UP.Thanks to the people who were always there to teach me what to do when I want something... and that is TO GET IT WITH STURDY SELF ESTEEM, WITH AN HONEST HEART AND MIND, AND WITH AN UNFALTERING FAITH IN HIM.
"....Don't ever let anybody tell you that you can't do something, NOT EVEN ME... You have a dream, you gotta protect it... if you want something, GO GET IT... PERIOD." (Will Smith, "The Pursuit of Happyness")
______________________________________
There are few things that I learned from REAL WINNERS, they are:
- To NEVER LOSE HOPE even if one has to grope in the dark.
- To STAY DETERMINED no matter what road one is taking.
- To REALIZE THE SIGNIFICANCE OF PATIENCE MOST IMPORTANTLY in the MOST DIFFICULT TIMES.
- To NEVER LISTEN TO PEOPLE WHO GIVE THEM NEGATIVE OUTLOOK TOWARDS LIFE.
- To DO HONEST WORK (EARN AND USE AN HONEST MONEY).
- To CLIMB ONE'S OWN MOUNTAIN WITHOUT STEPPING ON OTHERS.
- To try hard to SHINE WITHOUT TARNISHING OTHER PEOPLE'S IMAGE.
- To BE GRATEFUL TO PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN THERE IN ONE'S DARKEST DAYS, and to KEEP THEM IN THEIR LIFE EVEN WHEN ONE HAS ALREADY ACHIEVED HIS DREAMS.
- To RESPECT ALL KINDS OF PEOPLE (BLACK OR WHITE, DULL OR BRIGHT, RICH OR POOR, UGLY OR BEAUTIFUL...)
- To NEVER FORGET WHERE ONE CAME FROM WHEN HE REACHED THE TOP. And to REMAIN HUMBLE NO MATTER HOW SUCCESSFUL HE MAY BECOME.
- To KEEP IN ONE'S HEAD AND HEART HIS TOTAL NEED FOR GOD (NO MATTER HOW ADEQUATE HE MAY FEEL ABOUT HIMSELF).
- To DO EVERYTHING FOR GOD'S GLORY.
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... I think I am about to watch "The Pursuit of Happyness" for the nth. time =)
Copyright by DjBryle, 2011 (Originally published by yours truly at HubPages)
*("365 Moments To Cherish" by Robert Strand)
