Don’t Give Up, Don’t Ever Give Up – Jim Valvano
December 01, 2010
What do you decide to do when you are at the end of the road?
This has been a common theme in 2010 and for the last couple of years for myself and most people I know. The Great Recession has kicked a lot of people in the backside and add that on to caring for parents, kids, careers and day to day things a lot of people have felt overwhelmed at one time or another.
For some it has been a constant feeling.
I did a job search presentation to a local group two weeks ago and after one of the attendees took me aside and said they had “quit” a long time ago on the job search. I was torn between showing empathy and wanting to kick the guy’s butt. I get what he meant and that feeling is horrible but he needed to “wake up”.
Instead I asked if him quitting had helped and he said no.
OK then, I guess we need to keep going, right?
You can’t give up, you just can’t.
I am reminded this week of a speech Jim Valvano gave at the ESPYs in 1993 to serve as a reminder to myself and hopefully you can take something away from it.
Below is the video and here is the transcript: Don't give up, don't ever give up.
A few quotes from his speech that are ringing loud in my mind these past days:
“But think about it. If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that's a full day. That's a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you're going to have something special.”
“…and I always have to think about what's important in life to me are these three things. Where you started, where you are and where you're going to be. Those are the three things that I try to do every day.”
“I just got one last thing, I urge all of you, all of you, to enjoy your life, the precious moments you have. To spend each day with some laughter and some thought, to get you're emotions going. To be enthusiastic every day and as Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Nothing great could be accomplished without enthusiasm," to keep your dreams alive in spite of problems whatever you have. The ability to be able to work hard for your dreams to come true, to become a reality. “
"Don't give up, don't ever give up."
“Cancer can take away all my physical abilities. It cannot touch my mind, it cannot touch my heart and it cannot touch my soul. And those three things are going to carry on forever.“
I suggest you read the transcript and watch this video:
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