In life… there are no second chances…

"If I had to select one quality, one personal characteristic that I regard as being most highly correlated with success, whatever the field, I would pick the trait of persistence. Determination. The will to endure to the end, to get knocked down seventy times and get up off the floor saying. "Here comes number seventy-one!" -Richard M. Devos        

There is an old Greek allegory that recites vision and the personal quality of finishing to the end;  As the Gods on Mount Olympus, looking down on human actions from the clouds, they see in advance the endings of all the great dreams that lead to disaster and tragedy.  And they laugh at our inability to see beyond the moment, and at how we delude ourselves.

The following  narrative, briefly summarizes how we humans, lack the discipline, tenacity, will, and vision to endure to the end.  As Robert Greene states, “ Most men are ruled by the heart, not the head. Their plans are vague, and when they meet obstacles they improvise. But improvisation will only bring you as far as the next crisis, and is never a substitute for thinking several steps ahead and planning to the end.”

As a young immigrant turned entrepreneur, I have had the pleasure to battle the dogma that we call life.  Luckily I was blessed with amazing parents whom installed in me the work ethic, cut throat attitude, and foundation to keep on fighting….. even when there is no hope at all.  This simple characteristic has compounded over time, and as I battle through the next stages, while overcoming the demons of my life, I have taken the time through the years to explain and use myself as an example.

While venturing off into the world of business at an early age, I have grown to understand the human element of procrastination.  As time and time again, I come around friends and colleagues that foresee many great opportunities, but do not have the skill, knowledge, and discipline to execute.  On the contrary, there are times when these associates get past the vagueness and anxieties, and decide to execute, their so called vision or idea.  But then………..variables, obstacles, and the famous element known as LIFE, gets in the way.  That’s where anxiety harnesses the heart, and takes over.  As one starts, and does not finish…..

Which leads me to professing the fact that the ENDING IS EVERYTHING.  Nothing in life comes easy!  Whether it is in business, love, or life, it is the end of the action that determines who gets the glory, the prize. 

As Robert Greene professes, "The ending is everything. Plan all the way to it, taking into account all the possible consequences, obstacles, and twists of fortune that might reverse your hard work and give the glory to others. By planning to the end you will not be overwhelmed by circumstances and you will know when to stop. Gently guide fortune and help determine the future by thinking far ahead."

Furthermore, since the following topic of the day is on execution and planning all the way to the end,  I will end this piece as such; Life is not easy, it is actually one of the hardest roads one must walk on, until one day the road ends.  The question in hand, is understating the concept and parable of time…. So harness it, enjoy it, and live it, because in life….there are no second chances!    “Vereor Nusquam!”....that’s Latin for ….Fear Nothing!