it’s staying the course.

“'Cause sometimes you just feel tired, feel weak

And when you feel weak, you feel like you wanna just give up

But you got to search within you, and try to find that inner strength

And just pull that ____ out of you

And get that motivation to not give up, and not be a quitter

No matter how bad you wanna just fall flat on your face and collapse”

-Eminem, ‘Till I Collapse

“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”

-Matthew 7:13-14

It’s unclear whether Eminem and the Bible have ever previously been combined in an epigraph, but here we go…

Any worthy goal is difficult to achieve. It’s almost as if, built into the fabric of the universe, there is a principle that one must prove themselves to be deserving of accomplishment. Can you overcome the obstacles that stand in your way? Will you prove (or develop) your character necessary to have the hope to overcome the challenges you will face?

The will to endure suffering requires an uncommon strength won through perseverance in the face of the crucibles of life and, sometimes, maybe with the aid of supernatural intervention. This uncommon strength is required to achieve great ends. 

The days are long and the years are hard. Stay the course. Stay the course when your back hurts and your feet are sore. Stay the course when everything around you falls apart. Stay the course when it seems there is no one on your side. Stay the course.

Consistency of character, dedication to achieving a worthy aim, steadiness in the face of tumult: these are the main themes of Kipling’s famous poem, “If.” These are the traits that enabled Lincoln to change the course of history. These are what will be required to achieve meaningful objectives. 

Stay the course.