When I was in high school I developed a fascination with Winston Churchill. Churchill was not a great speaker or even a physically imposing man. In fact, as I studied his life I was amazed that as a child he was a poor student. However Churchill grew to be one of the most inspirational leaders of his time. He is often quoted by many world leaders. In one of his most famous speeches he said, "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. never yield to force, never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy."
Today we live in a society that has a quit mentality. Weekly I get calls from parents saying, "my son doesn't like it." Every time I can think back to the week before when the son or daughter got choked or thrown hard. Jiu-Jitsu is fun but it is also hard. If it wasn't hard it wouldn't be real. School subjects are hard. They are suppose to be hard to challenge the mind and to spark the creative nature that we all possess. Marriage, raising children, working every day, doing the right thing, these are all hard.
We must teach the next generation that it is not about having fun. It's about doing the right thing and having the resolve to see it through. What are we teaching them by letting them quit every time things get hard.
My wife works at a local school. She comments all the time about kids who have always struggled in school. When they are encouraged and challenged a few choose to work. She said it is amazing to see the looks on their faces when they get a good progress report for the first time in their lives. It all started by not letting them quit.
This is not just a lesson for children. It is a lesson for all of us. If you knee hurts, take a few days and let it rest. Then get back out their and do it again. If you get beat up it isn't the end of the world. Get back up and keep going. You will get better with time. "
Never give in- Never, never, never, never."
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