Ask the majority of men and women who have done great exploits that “to what do they owe their strength, depth of character and diversity of experience that have enriched their lives?”

They will most likely tell you that these are the fruits of their struggles. They will tell you they acquired their finest discipline and their best character drill in an effort to escape from an uncongenial environment; to break the bonds which enslaved them; to get an education; to escape from poverty; and to carry out some cherished plan, whatever it was. They were tempted to give up and quit trying, but rather, they persisted, continuing to water and fertilize their dreams.

The way to succeed is to persist to a thorough finish in whatever one undertakes. The art of holding on, of sticking, hanging, never giving up, no matter how great the discouragement, or how dark the outlook is an indispensable quality of success. This is because there is a great link between your life’s’ challenges and opportunities for the success you want.

A wise philosopher once commented that an eagle’s only obstacle to flying at a greater speed and ease is the air. Yet, if the air was withdrawn, and the proud bird was to fly in a vacuum, it would fall instantly to the ground. The very element that offers resistance to flying is at the same time, the condition for flight.

Man will always require self-effort to develop. If there were no obstacles to overcome, there would be no progress. The civilization of today, from education, infrastructure, urban development, to transportation, energy and so on have been products of man’s efforts to improve on the quality of their lives, to overcome an old, cumbersome process of doing things.

This is it – when circumstances are against us, we must be able to set the sails of our souls and use the adverse winds to our advantage.

The secret of using pain, suffering and frustration is in many ways life’s greatest secret. When you have learnt that, you are unbeatable and unbreakable.