Perseverance In The Last Lecture By Randy Pausch

"Fall seven times and stand up eight," a wise Japanese proverb goes. This quality of perseverance is one of the lessons that Randy Pausch writes about in his autobiography The Last Lecture. Randy Pausch's lessons about persevering through struggles can not only be exhibited through his life, but also through the lives of Abraham Lincoln and myself.
Randy Pausch's life is a classic display of the value he so highly regards: perseverance. When Pausch was a young, beginning football player, his coach was very tenacious. One day at practice, Coach Graham exploded at Randy when he was not able to accomplish the task he had assigned him. "'You're doing it all wrong Pausch. Go back! Do it again!' I tried to do what he wanted. It wasn't enough. 'You

When he was a youth in Kentucky, his eccentric appearance was noted by many people in his life, including the neighborhood children who referred to him as "the homeliest boy in the area". These crude labels followed him into his career as a politician and president. In February of 1861, is it noted that James A. Garfield, who would eventually become the 20th President of the United States, described Lincoln as being "distressingly homely... awkward homeliness." However, even though these rude remarks were noted by Lincoln, he did not let them define him. He rose up from the ashes of the wicked words with dignity and continued his career as a politician rather than crumbling and weeping. In many instances such as this one, perseverance and drive are allies against the ugly. According to the article Abraham Lincoln: A Remarkable Story of Perseverance, "In business, Lincoln failed twice, as a politician he lost eight elections and he suffered a nervous breakdown, bedridden for six months, as fears, doubts and uncertainties lived within his soul." This example from Lincoln's life clearly displays perseverance because it shows him failing, yet not giving up. Everyone knows Lincoln's success story, becoming the 16th President of the United States, but few know how difficult his journey to success was. If he had given up his political career

When I was young and just barely beginning ballet, I believed it to be quite enjoyable. Being a little girl and being introduced to a new sport, of course it was amusing! New experiences are typically thrilling at first. However, after about a year, I began to grow increasingly weary of the same exercises, the same steps, and the same schedule, day upon day. A grim attitude crept up upon me over that period of time, with the same "I don't want to be here" attitude growing each day with more heat and passion. During this phase, I seriously considered quitting ballet. But I didn't. I don't know exactly what emotion unknowingly poured over me, but it was a kind of hope that didn't translate into words. I knew in my heart that eventually something good would have to come out of the countless hours I spent drowning in weariness and tedium. And then finally, one day my glimmer of hope was transfigured into a beam. One new dance move blossomed into five others and a conversation sparked a fresh relationship, which sparked ten more. We started learning new moves almost in a chaotic fashion and friendships began to quickly blossom in our group. My perseverance during that time has kept me in ballet, something that I am eternally grateful for. The discipline and character that ballet has taught me is something that I seriously doubt I personally would have been able to learn from any other sport.