Persistence is crucial to accomplishing anything worthwhile.  Everyone fails, the difference is in whether you learn from your failures or are defeated by them.


Anyone who has achieved their Black Belt has failed multiple times, but they have also learned from their mistakes and kept going. A Black Belt is not only a mark of skill; it is a mark of attitude!


The following story about persistence demonstrates the incredible power of this concept.  It’s about a man named Benjamin Franklin. He is a household name known to everyone in America, and his most important attribute was persistence. Read the following article on persistence by Dr. J.C. Maxwell and realise you could accomplish the same!

Persistence: The Key to Accomplishment…

When studying the accomplishments of Benjamin Franklin, it’s hard to believe one man could have contributed so much to society during his lifetime. Consider a list of Ben Franklin’s notable achievements. Over 200 years later, many of them influence our daily lives.

• Invented bifocals, the lightning rod, and an odometer for carriages

• Founded America’s first public library, public hospital, volunteer firefighting organization, and fire insurance company

• Founded the American Philosophical Society

• Wrote Poor Richard’s Almanac, one of the most popular books in early America

• Wrote America’s first political cartoon

• Held position of Postmaster General of the American Colonies and dramatically improved the United States’ postal system.

• Owned colonial America’s most prominent printing network

• Served as America’s first ambassador to France

• Was the oldest person to sign the Declaration of Independence

• Proposed idea of Daylight Savings Time

• Made groundbreaking scientific discoveries in the field of electricity. During his experimentation he coined the following terms: battery, conductor, charge, uncharged, negative, minus, plus, electric shock, and electrician

What made Benjamin Franklin such an extraordinary individual? Natural genius? Charm? Charisma? While Franklin may have had each in abundance, his persistence stands out as the quality most responsible for his greatness. His maxims on hard work are still ingrained in America’s vernacular.