In a speech, President Calvin Coolidge once said, Nothing in the world takes the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with great talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence, determination alone are omnipotent.

There are thousands of stories of people who, against all odds, succeeded beyond their wildest dreams. Henry Ford went bankrupt twice before creating the Model T. Coca Cola sold only four hundred drinks their first year in business. Dr. Seuss was rejected by twenty three publishers before printing his first book.

Back some years ago, a survey of sales executives showed that 80 percent of all sales were made after the fifth sales call. Yet 48 percent of salespeople contacted prospects only once and then gave up and moved on to another prospect. 25 percent made two calls and then quit. 12 percent stopped after three calls. And 5 percent gave up after the fourth call. The other 10 percent didnt quit. They kept on calling. This 10 percent the one salesperson out of every ten ended up being responsible for making 80 percent of the sales.

If you want the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, youll probably have to trudge through some rain to get there. So, whatever project youre working on, stick with it. Play the game 100 percent full out to win. Take what you get and just keep moving on. Because, as you can see from the statistics, persistence pays off.