KBO

“Never give in. Never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty.? Never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense.”??- W. Churchill ?

The past three weeks have provided me with multiple opportunities to consider the impact of “giving up” or “quitting”? Two weeks ago I had the honor of attending our local Veterans Day luncheon and hearing Col. (Retired)?Martha McSally, the first American woman to fly a fighter jet in combat?and command a fighter squadron, recount the challenges she overcame during her twenty-six year career in the Air Force.? McSally’s perseverance is especially admirable when one considers that many, if not most?of the obstacles designed to make her quit were created by those to whom she reported, her military superiors. During her career she also fought the Pentagon on behalf of American servicewomen, once filing a law suit against the Secretary of Defense and winning (Not a great career move.”, she commented).? McSally also brought down many of the gender barriers that had become an accepted part of military tradition. In her own words, “Courage isn’t magic or genetics.? It is a choice.? By choosing to do things when you are afraid, you discover your own power to overcome.”

“Stay the Course!”? That was the simple response from my surgeon following an email exchange two weeks ago..? While my use of the new knees is improving and PT is going well,?my expectations were for more.? Hence I questioned the process we were following and suggested we look at an alternative.? My therapist?later asked, “How did you like Doc’s response to your email?” (she was copied)? She smiled and said, be patient; not one of my attributes!? He was right!? I was ready to give in, but I’ve stayed the course and my concerns are gone.? Sometimes we quit or give up on something because our personal expectations are not realistic.

This past Tuesday I participated in a Leadership Boot Camp organized by friend and mentor, Jay Sidhu.? Sixty students from three local high schools joined us to hear Jay, five accomplished business executives, a young successful entrepreneur, and retired?Eagles wide receiver and All Pro, Mike Quick.? The speakers shared their respective career journeys and the challenges they faced.? A common theme was never ever ever giving up (Ironically the title of Jay’s book). ? During my brief segment, I asked the students to consider quitting from a different perspective.? I asked, “What is impossible for you to do today, but if you could do it, would it fundamentally change your life?”? I then asked a follow-up question, “Why aren't you doing it?”? While most think of quitting as something that occurs after one has begun a challenge, too many throw in the towel before they've ever begun ? The point I wanted to make is that too many people quit on their dreams, quit on their aspirations, and subsequently learn to quit on themselves by giving up before they ever make the effort.? As I was once told by a Parris Island DI, “Don’t you even think about quitting.? You will never have this opportunity again, and if you don’t take it, it will haunt you for the rest of your life!"

The quote that began this post is the first part of a speech given by Winston Churchill to the boys at Harrow’s Home, the school that he attended as a child.? Considered by many to be the saving voice of Britain during WWII, it was Churchill who was the lone objector in the late 1930’s when appeasement toward Hitler was the accepted British policy of the day, and it was Churchill again who was the lone voice to inspire the British people to not quit, to hold out against the Nazi bombardment?and a potential invasion, until America entered the war.? But perhaps it was his speech to the British House in June of 1940 that best expressed his refusal to quit even in the face of great odds; “We shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender."

Refusing to quit can be confusing!? It's good to be tough, and sticking to something is commendable, but remember inflexibility can prohibit the pursuit of other viable solutions.? Perhaps the words that began Churchill's day and ended his phone conversations can guide us, “Keep Buggering On!”

EMBRACE THE CHALLENGE