I Love Living Life. I Am Happy.

Abraham Lincoln never quit.

Born into poverty, Abraham Lincoln was faced with defeat throughout his life. He lost eight elections, failed twice in business and suffered a nervous breakdown. He could have quit many times - but he didn’t and because he didn’t quit, he became one of the greatest presidents in the United States history.

Here is a sketch of Lincoln’s road to the White House:

* 1816 His family was forced out of their home. He had to work to support them.
* 1818 His mother died.
* 1831 Failed in business.
* 1832 Ran for state legislature - lost.
* 1832 Also lost his job - wanted to go to law school but couldn’t get in.
* 1833 Borrowed money from a friend to begin a business and by the end of the year he was bankrupt. He spent the next 17 years of his life paying off this debt.
* 1834 Ran for state legislature again - won.
* 1835 Was engaged to be married, sweetheart died and his heart was broken.
* 1836 Had a total nervous breakdown and was in bed for six months.
* 1838 Sought to become speaker of the state legislature - defeated.
* 1840 Sought to become elector - defeated.
* 1843 Ran for Congress - lost.
* 1846 Ran for Congress again - this time he won - went to Washington and did a good job.
* 1848 Ran for re-election to Congress - lost.
* 1849 Sought the job of land officer in his home state - rejected.
* 1854 Ran for Senate of the United States - lost.
* 1856 Sought Vice-Presidential nomination at his party’s national convention - got less than 100 votes.
* 1858 Ran for U.S. Senate again - he lost again
* 1860 Elected president of the United States.

Paul Potts (Video)

The Don't Quit Poem (Video)

The Teacup

A couple celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary went to England to shop in the beautiful stores. They both liked antiques and pottery and especially teacups.

One day they saw a beautiful teacup in a shop. They asked the shopkeeper, "May we see that? We've never seen one quite so beautiful." As they were being handed the teacup, it suddenly spoke.

"You don't understand," it said. "I haven't always been a teacup. There was a time when I was red and I was clay. My master took me and rolled me and patted me over and over and I yelled out, let me alone,' but he only smiled, 'Not yet.'

"Then I was placed on a spinning wheel, and suddenly I was spun around and around and around. 'Stop it! I'm getting dizzy!' I screamed. But the master only nodded and said, 'Not yet.'

Then he put me in the oven. I never felt such heat. I wondered why he wanted to burn me, and I yelled, and I knocked at the door. I could see him through the opening and I could read his lips as he shook his head, 'Not yet.'

"Finally the door opened, he put me on the shelf, and I began to cool. 'There, that's better,' I said. And he brushed and painted me all over. The fumes were horrible. I thought I would gag. 'Stop it, stop it!' I cried. He only nodded, 'Not yet.'

"Then suddenly he put me back into the oven, not like the first one. This was twice as hot and I knew I would suffocate. I begged. I pleaded. I screamed. I cried. All the time I could see him through the opening nodding his head, saying, 'Not yet.'

"Then I knew there wasn't any hope. I would never make it. I was ready to give up. But the door opened and he took me out and placed me on the shelf. One hour later he handed me a mirror and said, 'Look at yourself.' And I did. I said, 'That's not me; that couldn't be me. It's beautiful. I'm beautiful.'

'I want you to remember, then,' he said, 'I know it hurt to be rolled and patted, but if I just left you, you'd have dried up. I know it made you dizzy to spin around on the wheel, but if I had stopped, you would have crumbled. I know it hurt and it was hot and disagreeable in the oven, but if I hadn't put you there, you would have cracked. I know the fumes were bad when I brushed and painted you all over, but if I hadn't done that, you never would have hardened. You would not have had any color in your life, and if I hadn't put you back in that second oven, you wouldn't survive for very long because the hardness would not have held. Now you are a finished product. You are what I had in mind when I first began with you.'

The Fern and the Bamboo

One day I decided to quit...I quit my job, my relationship, my spirituality...

I wanted to quit my life. I went to the woods to have one last talk with God.

"God", I said. "Can you give me one good reason not to quit?"

His answer surprised me... "Look around," He said, "Do you see the fern and the bamboo?"

"Yes", I replied.

"When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good care of them. I gave them light. I gave them water. The fern quickly grew from the earth. Its brilliant green covered the floor. Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo. In the second year the Fern grew more vibrant and plentiful. And again, nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo."

"In year three there was still nothing from the bamboo seed. But I would not quit. In year four,
again, there was nothing from the bamboo seed. I would not quit."

"Then in the fifth year a tiny sprout emerged from the earth. Compared to the fern it was seemingly small and insignificant... But just 6 months later the bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall. It had spent the five years growing roots. Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive. I would not give any of my creations a challenge it could not handle."

"Did you know, my child, that all this time you have been struggling, you have actually been growing roots?"

"I would not quit on the bamboo. I will never quit on you," He said to me, "Don't compare yourself to others. The bamboo had a different purpose than the fern. Yet they both make the forest beautiful."

"Your time will come," God said to me. "You will rise high."

"How high should I rise?" I asked.

"How high will the bamboo rise?" He asked in return.

"As high as it can?" I questioned

"Yes." He said, "Give me glory by rising as high as you can."

I left the forest and bring back this story. I hope these words can help you see that God will never give up on you. He will never give up on you.

Never regret a day in your life. Good days give you happiness; bad days give you experiences; both are essential to life

Al Pacino's Speech in Any Given Sunday

The Donkey in the Well

One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally he decided since the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway, it just wasn't worth it to retrieve the donkey. So, the farmer invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They all grabbed shovels, and began to shovel dirt into the well.

All the other farm animals were very upset about this, because the donkey was their friend. But they discovered there was nothing they could do to help him. At first, when the donkey realized what was happening, he cried horribly. Then, to everyone's amazement, he quieted down. A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well, and was astonished at what he saw.

With every shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off, and take a step up on the dirt as it piled up. As the farmer's neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well, and trotted off!

MORAL: Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. But each trouble can be a stepping stone. What happens to you isn't nearly as important as how you react to it. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not giving up!

Shake it off, and take a step up!

The Frogs and the Tower

There once was a bunch of tiny frogs who arranged a running competition. The goal was to reach the top of a very high tower. A big crowd gathered around the tower to see the race and cheer on the contestants.

The race began but no one in crowd really believed that the tiny frogs would reach the top of the tower and quickly discouraged them:

"Oh, WAY too difficult!!"

"They will NEVER make it to the top".

"Not a chance that they will succeed. The tower is too high!"

The tiny frogs began collapsing. One by one except for those who in a fresh tempo climbed higher and higher.

The crowd continued to discourage them:

"It is too difficult!!! No one will make it!"

More tiny frogs got tired and gave up But ONE continued higher and higher and higher and simply wouldn't give up.

At the end, everyone else had given up climbing the tower except for the one tiny frog who, after a big effort, was the only one who reached the top.

THEN all of the other tiny frogs naturally wanted to know how this one frog managed to do it? A contestant asked the tiny frog how the one who succeeded had found the strength to reach the goal?

It turned out the winner was deaf.

Never Give Up

by Tenzin Gyatso
The 14th Dalai Lama

Never give up
No matter what is going on
Never give up
Develop the heart
Too much energy in your country is spent
developing the mind instead of the heart
Develop the heart,
Be compassionate
Not just to your friends but to everyone,
be compassionate
Work for peace in your heart and in the world
Work for peace, and I say again
Never give up
No matter what is happening
No matter what is going on around you
Never give up.

Lincoln Never Quits

Abraham Lincoln Didn't Quit

Probably the greatest example of persistence is Abraham Lincoln. If you want to learn about somebody who didn't quit, look no further.

Born into poverty, Lincoln was faced with defeat throughout his life. He lost eight elections, twice failed in business and suffered a nervous breakdown.

He could have quit many times - but he didn't and because he didn't quit, he became one of the greatest presidents in the history of our country.

Lincoln was a champion and he never gave up. Here is a sketch of Lincoln's road to the White House:

* 1816 His family was forced out of their home. He had to work to support them.
* 1818 His mother died.
* 1831 Failed in business.
* 1832 Ran for state legislature - lost.
* l832 Also lost his job - wanted to go to law school but couldn't get in.
* 1833 Borrowed some money from a friend to begin a business and by the end of the year he was bankrupt. He spent the next 17 years of his life paying off this debt.
* 1834 Ran for state legislature again - won.
* 1835 Was engaged to be married, sweetheart died and his heart was broken.
* 1836 Had a total nervous breakdown and was in bed for six months.
* 1838 Sought to become speaker of the state legislature - defeated.
* 1840 Sought to become elector - defeated.
* 1843 Ran for Congress - lost.
* 1846 Ran for Congress again - this time he won - went to Washington and did a good job.
* 1848 Ran for re-election to Congress - lost.
* 1849 Sought the job of land officer in his home state - rejected.
* 1854 Ran for Senate of the United States - lost.
* 1856 Sought the Vice-Presidential nomination at his party's national convention - get less than 100 votes.
* 1858 Ran for U.S. Senate again - again he lost.
* 1860 Elected president of the United States.

Message In A Bottle

A man was strolling along the beach one day when he spotted a bottle washed up on the shore. He went over and picked it up, and noticed a message in the bottle. He popped the cork out and inside was a weathered treasure map indicating that there was buried treasure to be found in the shallow waters below. But the man thought it was a hoax, so he slipped the map back in and threw the bottle back into the ocean.

A little later, another man was walking along the beach and the bottle had washed upon the shore. He too picked up the bottle, popped out the cork, and found the treasure map. This man, however, was curious enough to wade into the water and hoped it was buried shallow enough to find. But once the cold ocean waters reached up to his thighs, he decided to quit. "This is not worth it!" he thought to himself. So he scrambled back to shore and chucked the bottle back into the ocean.

A third man was walking by the beach and noticed the bottle washed upon the shore. He went over, opened the bottle and found the map. The map looked authentic enough, and promised great treasure. So he got himself a small raft and set out into the ocean to claim the treasure. He rowed out far enough into the ocean where the "X" on the map was and to his surprise, he saw the glint of something shining in the waters below. He dove into the ocean and swam towards the shining object below. He could see that there was something that looked like a treasure chest, but he couldn't quite reach it and the deeper he went, the greater the cold and pressure was on his body and his mind. "I am about to lose my breath, and the longer I take, the more my raft might be swept away!" he thought. So the man gave up the hunt to ensure his own life and safety. When he reached the shore once more, he took the bottle from the raft and tossed it back into the ocean.

Finally, one more man was walking along the beach. He noticed the bottle, went over, popped it open, and was excited to find a map promising great treasure. He noticed someone had left a raft by the water's edge, so he took it and paddled out. He too, got far enough to where the "X" marks the spot, and squinted into the waters and saw the shadow and glint of the treasure below. He took a deep breath and plunged into the waters. Like the man before him, the cold, darkness and pressure upon his senses increased as he got closer. He also realized that if he kept swimming, that he might lose his breath, the raft, and even his own life! But this treasure could be worth all the risk and he persisted. Just as he was about to give up, he grabbed the long chain that was binding the chest and pulled it up along with himself back to the surface. He broke the surface of the water gasping and exhausted but with the treasure chest safely in his grasp. He paddled back to the shore, opened up the treasure chest and found what the map had promised - gold, and precious diamonds and jewels that would make him secure for the rest of his life.