Strive

8When the Going Gets Tough

Fall seven times, stand up eight.

—Japanese proverb

Pairing Risk with Perseverance Is Necessary for Your Ultimate Success

Have you ever been unemployed? Many of us will experience at least a short period of unemployment in our lives. It's one of the worst situations you can find yourself in. Not only does your family struggle because you lack work, but your self‐esteem takes an enormous hit. You wonder if you have any value as a person. Looking into the eyes of your suffering spouse or children is soul‐shattering when your only thought is how to keep a roof over their heads. I have gone through tough periods of unemployment. I was devastated by my failure with my tea bar, and I moved from contract to contract. The times we needed to live off of our savings were difficult personally and financially—but enlightening. It was this tough time in my life that showed me a very important aspect of success: Perseverance. I took risks in order to support my family and tried to stretch myself to get outside my comfort zone. However, it was not just “hanging in there” that helped me eventually reach my goals. Rather, it was the reflection on what I had learned that helped me to persevere, which led to a kind of “informed perseverance.” I did not keep trying to do the same thing with no positive results. Rather, I thought carefully about what my risk had taught me and then used it to help me pursue my dreams.

One of the insights I gained from my yo‐yo employment ...