Never, Ever Give Up: Having the Courage to Start Over Again

Written by Peter Ruppert . Narrated by Marie T. Russell. Never give up on what you really want to do. The person with big dreams is more powerful than one with all the facts.  — ALBERT EINSTEIN If you continue to build courage throughout your life and take each next step with grit, determination and a knowledge that failures along the way are part of the process, you will eventually come out on the other side successful. A few years ago, National Geographic came out with a documentary following the courageous exploits of Alex Honnold, a professional mountain climber and a man of incredible courage and resilience. This documentary, called Free Solo, details Honnold’s relentless preparation in his superhuman attempt to conquer something that had never been accomplished before—scaling the sheer, 900-meter granite rock face of Yosemite’s El Capitan without the help of ropes or other safety climbing gear. The documentary is a fascinating, inspiring and even terrifying study of one man’s dogged determination to use his expertise and push his physical limits to the breaking point in the pursuit of a goal that has consumed him for years. Watching Honnold in this documentary epitomizes the “never, ever give up” message in this chapter, as he prepares himself relentlessly for the attempt and is turned back on his first try. Watching him regroup and summon the physical and mental stamina to make a second, successful attempt is both harrowing and, ultimately, amazing. Knowing When To Pivot Although I’m a huge believer in never giving up, I also know it doesn’t necessarily mean... Continue Reading at InnerSelf.com (plus audio/mp3 version of article) Read by Marie T. Russell, InnerSelf.com Music By Caffeine Creek Band, Pixabay About The Author Peter Ruppert is founder and CEO of i-Education Group, which operates over 75 Fusion and Futures Academies for grades 6-12 in one student, one teacher classroom environments. A 20-year veteran of the education industry, he’s opened over 100 schools and acquired more than 25 others. He’s been president and CEO of organizations in the private school, charter school, and early education industries, and sat on his local public school board for 5 years.