The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.
Nelson Mandela
Unless you are one of those rare gifted people who have never tasted failure, you must have experienced your fair share of disappointments. More often than not, such negative experiences tend to sap us of all desire and incentive to keep working hard. They make it ever so difficult for us to get out of bed in the morning, plunging us into a vicious cycle of hopelessness and lethargy. The bigger the setback, the harder it gets to work your way out of that abyss of despair and dejection.
That said, it is always possible to get back up on your feet and regain control of your destiny. It is important to remember that it is common – sometimes even inevitable – to hit a roadblock. However, what sets successful people apart from the not-so-successful ones are their ability to bounce back. That is what character means, doesn’t it? Grit and determination are the two key allies in such disheartening circumstances. Your family and friends can be great support too, offering you some handy suggestions and advice. However, ultimately it is you who needs to muster the courage to shake off the blow thrown at you by life and walk back into the ring.
Remember, it is not the size of the dog in the fight, but rather the size of the fight in the dog that matters. We all fall down, but it takes great spirit to get back up and start running toward the finishing line. That is what eventually marks the difference between success and failure, between living your dreams and giving up on them. South Africa’s anti-apartheid revolutionary and former president, Nelson Mandela, once remarked: “The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”