“Stay true to yourself, yet always be open to learn. Work hard, and never give up on your dreams, even when nobody else believes they can come true but you. These are not clichés but real tools you need no matter what you do in life to stay focused on your path.” Philip Sweet.

A few weeks ago on consecutive nights the world of football provided two great examples of the importance of not giving up too soon when you are seeking to achieve something. Liverpool FC and Tottenham Hotspur both won their ties against Barcelona and Ajax respectively to qualify for the Champions League final.

Both teams battled against the odds to do so. Frankly, they defied the experts who gave them little chance. In Liverpool’s case they were 3-0 down after the first leg and therefore had to score 4 goals to beat Barcelona. Before the game many people doubted that this would be possible.

Tottenham lost their home tie by a single goal and in the return match conceded two further goals. They staged a remarkable late comeback to score three goals to win the tie on an away goals rule.

There is additional validation of the need to persevere in my book Be First Class. In one of the chapters I talked about Eddie Redmayne winning the best actor category at the annual Oscars ceremony in 2015. He won it for his portrayal of Professor Stephen Hawking in the film “The Theory of Everything.”

The film is an adaptation of the book – Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen by Jane Wilde Hawking. It deals with her relationship with her ex-husband, his diagnosis of motor neuron disease and his success in physics.

One of the big lessons that I gained by watching the film was to “never give up on your dreams and goals.” In the film Hawking said “There should be no boundaries to human endeavour. We are all different. However bad life may seem, there is always something you can do, and succeed at. “While there’s life, there is hope.”

Another insight that I gleaned was “don’t believe everything you are told.” Hawking was told he had just 2 years to live when he was diagnosed with the disease in the 1960’s when he was in his early twenties. He died last year aged 76!

The film also showed that physical disability doesn’t have to be an obstacle to achieving great things. Hawking achieved success with works of popular science in which he discussed his own theories and cosmology in general.

The story of Victor Frankl is another example of someone who showed great resilience in the face of difficulty. He was an Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist as well as a Holocaust survivor. His best-selling book, “Man’s Search for Meaning” details his experiences as a concentration camp inmate which led him to discover the importance of finding meaning in all forms of existence.

The book chronicles how Frankl found meaning in the midst of extreme suffering he experienced in the harsh conditions of the Nazi concentration camp. This included a detailed account of when he was made to walk through difficult terrain in icy cold weather along with other inmates.

As they tired and struggled with the conditions, the accompanying guards kept shouting at them and driving them on with the butts of their rifles. Experiences such as this made him think of his wife and hoping that she was receiving better treatment in her camp.

He said that it helped him realise the importance of love. He said that he understood for the first time in his life the truth proclaimed as the final wisdom by so many thinkers. This truth was that love is the ultimate and the highest goal to which Man can aspire. He said that he grasped the meaning of the greatest secret that human poetry and human thought and belief have to impart: The salvation of Man is through love and in love.

He understood how someone who has nothing left in this world may still experience bliss, albeit for a brief moment, in the contemplation of his beloved.

I believe that stories such as Stephen Hawking’s and Victor Frankel’s are perfect illustrations of the strength of the human spirit and how in the face of great adversity people find the courage to persevere and endure suffering. They can serve as an inspiration to us all.

They illustrate how vital it is to retain faith and trust that things will work out. They demonstrate that you can achieve things if you keep applying yourself no matter what the circumstances and odds against you. You also have to believe that ultimately you will prevail and succeed.

Why not pause for a few moments this week and consider who you know that has shown great perseverance in the face of difficulty. What lessons and insights has their determination taught you?

To arrange a free no obligation consultation, please contact Stephen Pauley via the contact form or by e mail: Stephen@befirstclass.co.uk