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This is a story about the persistence of an old mule. Sometimes when things look hopeless, it is shear persistence that can save the day. In fact, of all the qualities that can see you through tough times, persistence might be unmatched. Here’s the story…
There was a farmer who owned an old mule and one day that mule fell into a dried out, abandoned water well. After assessing the situation carefully, the farmer reluctantly concluded that neither the mule nor the well was worth saving. He wasn’t happy about it, but what else could he do?
For the mule, the future’s not looking very hopeful
So, the farmer called his neighbors together and enlisted them to help him bury the old mule right there in the well and put him out of his misery.
Initially the old mule was frantic, but as the dirt kept hitting his back, something happened. It dawned on the mule that every time a shovel load landed on his back, he should shake it off and step up! And that’s exactly what he did. Blow after blow that old mule would shake off the dirt and step up…shake it off and step up.
Persistence might just save the day!
No matter how painful the blows or how distressing the situation, the old mule fought the urge to panic and just kept right on shaking off the dirt and stepping up! It took awhile, but eventually his persistence began to pay of because with each step he was moving up ever so slightly.
Before long, the old mule, battered and exhausted, stepped triumphantly through the mouth of that well. What seemed like it would bury him actually helped him…all because of how he demonstrated persistence in the face of adversity.
When things start to look hopeless, choose persistence!
Such is life. If we face our problems and respond to them positively, refusing to surrender to panic, bitterness, or self-pity, the adversities that come along to bury us usually possess the potential to benefit us, but it’s only through persistence that we can realize that potential.
“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.” ~ Calvin Coolidge
