When willpower seems to be lacking, I always think back to Abraham Lincoln’s life. A formidable example of tenacity. He never gave up even when everything seemed to be conspiring against him.
He was born in misery, and his life was always hard, marked by constant defeats. He lost eight elections, failed twice in business. He had a nervous breakdown.
He could have quit, but he never did, never. He eventually became one of the greatest presidents in the history of the United States. It is a beautiful example of how you never give up.
The dates that mark the path of his life:
1816 – His family is evicted. He must work to support them.
1818 – His mother dies.
1831 – She fails in business.
1832 – He runs for state parliament: defeated.
1832 – He also loses his job: he wants to enter the law school but is not admitted.
1833 – Borrows money from a friend to start a business and, at the end of the year, is already bankrupt. He will spend the next seventeen years of his life repaying the debt.
1834 – He runs for state parliament: elected.
1835 – He gets engaged, but his betrothed dies.
1836 – He has a severe nervous breakdown and remains in bed for six months.
1838 – He tries to become a delegate voter, but is defeated.
1843 – He runs for the U.S. Congress. He is defeated.
1846 – He runs for Congress again, gets elected, goes to Washington and does a good job.
1848 – He runs for re-election to Congress: defeated.
1849 – Applies to become a state administrator of his state. He is rejected.
1854 – He runs for U.S. Senate, defeated.
1856 – He seeks candidacy for his party’s national congress vice-president. Gets less than a hundred votes.
1858 – Running again for U.S. Senate. Again defeated.
1860 – Elected President of the United States. #lincoln