There was a little girl named Nina who just came from her first ever retreat. During the retreat, she was filled with the Holy Spirit that she made a firm resolve not to fight with her younger brother Luis ever again. As she rode in the bus while going home, she even took out her little notebook to review all the wonderful things she experienced in the retreat and to review her only resolution. Finally, she arrived at their house. She rang the doorbell and voila! Luis was the one who opened the gate. She smiled at her younger brother. Her younger brother smiled back and remarked “Andito na si holy holy!” (Here comes holy holy!) Nina’s smile was still on her face but one of her eyebrows raised. Then she swung her bag toward her younger brother almost hitting his head. Luckily Luis was a fast runner.
Was there an event in your life similar to Nina and Luis’s story? Have you ever made a firm resolve then after a few days (or even hours) you break it?
You resolve not to eat fried chicken but after a week you found yourself in Mcdonald’s.
You resolve to exercise everyday but after a few days, you’re too lazy to do it.
The list can go on and on. But don’t worry; you are not the only person.
Last January 1, I took out a planner which I bought last New Year of 2011. I opened it and decided to write my 2012 New Year’s Resolution there because there are a lot of empty pages I can write on. On the first page was my 2011 New year’s resolution, which I almost forgot I wrote until I saw it again. On the number 1 list was “to be orderly”. (Now you know why I bought the planner in the first place.) I smiled when I read that because I wasn’t so orderly in 2011. Worse, my new year’s resolutions in 2011 are similar to those I was planning to write for 2012.
As I looked back at the year 2011, I was reminded of the many resolutions which I made and the disappointments I had when I did not seem to have the capacity to fulfill them. Then one friend told me that your failures are not important. What matters is that you start all over again, even if what you do is to start again and again.
Persistence. To start again and again. Your persistence will eventually pay off. In fact, there are many stories of success of great people because of their persistence.
Colonel Sanders, for example, faced 1008 rejections before he was able to sell his secret recipe, which is now known as the Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC).
Sylvester Stallone experienced hunger and poverty, even had to sell his dog before he reached his dream of becoming an actor.
It took years for Albert Einstein to formulate his theories before he came up with the formula E=MC2.
The level of our resolutions might not be like that of Colonel Sanders or Albert Einstein or Sylvester Stallone. But if we can start small, we can grow big. If you resolved not to eat fried chicken because of your health, but today you were not able to discipline yourself enough, then start again tomorrow. Renew your resolutions again and again until fried chicken does not appeal to you anymore. Then you can step up to a more ambitious resolution.
Recently, I watched the finale of the Biggest Loser Season 7. While they were replaying the videos of one of the finalists, I recall her saying “I’m determined to change my life.” I’m amazed by her determination. She faced many challenges but was successful in the end in losing weight.
Be like her in her determination. Be persistent. Work Hard. And maybe, someday, your story of persistence will echo all over the world.
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