Wilma Rudolph: A Story Of Determination

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Many consider determination to simply be willpower, but that is not the case. Determination is an ingrained character trait that must be developed over time. It will become a force in you that will see you through the toughest challenges and allow you to overcome nearly impossible odds. Determination is a key factor in all success.

Have you had a situation where determination saw you through, where you were told that you couldn 't do something that you wanted to do, or that you were not good enough? In cases like this there is no evidence that you should keep trying yet it is determination that keeps you on track, moving forward. Great names from all ages are linked to such stories. Columbus, Lincoln, Caruso, and Roosevelt among many others …show more content…

Wilma Rudolph had polio as a young child and had to wear braces just to walk. She vowed to follow her older sister onto the school basketball team. This determination led her to practice first walking and later running. This determination paid off, not only did she make the basketball team but also the track team. Then, after the 1960 Rome Olympics she was known as the fastest woman on earth. Wilma Rudolph 's story is one of pure heart and determination.

It was Winston Churchill 's determination that inspired the British Empire when all looked lost in the opening years of World War II. All of Europe had fallen and Britain stood alone against the German War machine. Churchill spoke to the nation:

We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.
He had no reason to believe that victory was possible, that there would ever be any help from the United States and yet his faith and determination held the British people steadfast and led ultimately to victory for the Allies in World