Andy Drufesne, in Shawshank Redemption, spent years making no sounds, nor drawing the slightest attention to his inch-by-inch drive through his prison wall with a small rock chisel. He went on with life, enhanced his lot and that of his fellows through good business advice and plodded relentlessly towards his objective - to escape to a place without memories, where he could free himself from the injustices that had landed him in that harsh, unforgiving jail.
Eventually he broke through, escaped, raked in the ill-gotten gains of his corrupt warden and dissapeared to Mexico. Yet no one suspected or even noticed the handful of sand that trickled from his trouser legs, day after day, for the years it took to achieve freedom.
I spent a very meaningful time of coffee with a friend today, who spoke of a dream. In it he was hammering away at a solid, immoveable wall, but making no impression at all. He fell away, slowed his rhythm, stopped, resumed, but somehow kept going - until he saw a crack. The next blow breeched the wall.
Sometimes what we do in life or business is nothing short of persistence. Say what you want about business principles and leadership theory or the best practices described by the guru's of our age, but none of that is even half as valuable as the willingness to smack the wall again.
If you feel discouraged and wonder how to keep on going, just bear in mind that you never know when the last blow will come and you will never know how close you came - unless you keep going.
(c) Peter Eleazar @ http://www.won-ground.blogspot.com/
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