Quitting Does Not Cut the Grass

"How do you stop a man that does not give up?"


These were the words of my brother after watching my father successfully set up a satellite dish. My father worked day and night on getting his new dish to work. It literally took him weeks and for a man who nows little about technology, weeks was a short amount of time.


Well just recently my father drove thirty miles to pick up an identical lawn mower to the one he had at home. He bought it in order to use it for parts for the one he currently owned, because it would not turn on. I watched my father for four days straight pour hours upon hours of labor into getting this lawn mower to work. Everyday he would have a new idea, he would change something, he would add something, take away something and everyday the lawn mower did not turn on. My father seem to be absent most of the day due to this lawn mower and whenever I saw him he would tell me how close he was to turning it on.


The fifth day came around and I gave up for him. I began to think his effort was in vain it would be best if he gave up and bought a new one. As I am sitting on the couch watching some ridiculous tv show, I heard the sound of a lawn mower in my backyard. I mumbled, "No way, that can't be him," sure enough my father was mowing the lawn. I sat in amazement, "he actually did it," and the words from my brother a year ago came back, "How do you stop a man that does not give up?"


Although, my father only wanted to cut the grass his effort encouraged me. Giving up is not an option for me, even if I fail and fail I shall get up and move forward. I am entering a field where 90% of it is rejection, everyone thinks they will be the next best thing, but few make it.


Immediately I think of Silvester Stalone's story, he pursued acting for ten years before he played the main role to his own script, Rocky. Ten years is a long time of constant rejection, thats high school, college and then two years....Like my father, giving up was not an option for Silvester Stalone.


I only look to follow in my father's footsteps and like myself I hope that you can be encouraged through his perseverance. Do not let failure be the cause of your quitting, rather let failure be the cause of your success. Every mistake we make teaches us something, every wrong decision leads us closer to the right one.


To me, quitting is not an option.