From Chapter 3, "Persistence, Press on!" in Ingredients of Outliers An Unlikely Hero Chances are you’ve never heard the amazing story of a man named Cliff Young, but he’s a legend half a world away—in Australia, the Land Down Under. The legend began in 1983, as the inaugural foot race from Sydney to Melbourne was about to get underway. It was an ambitious undertaking, covering a distance of 875 kilometers, or more than 540 miles. That’s the equivalent of running nearly 21 complete marathons—in a row! To put it in perspective, that would be similar to running from New York City to … [Read more...]
Persistence: Press on!
From Chapter 3, "Persistence: Press on!" in Ingredients of Outliers The above words, spoken nearly a century ago by the 30th President of the United States, have long been favorites of mine. They epitomize a core principle on which our nation was founded, and on which it has been shaped. Call it what you will— persistence, determination, tenacity, perseverance—it’s the quality of pressing on toward a goal, no matter what obstacles or difficulties may stand in the way. This was brought home to me in a special way a few years ago when I attended the annual conference of the American … [Read more...]