Profiles in Persistence – Part 2
As mentioned in the first blog on Persistence, I invite you to share your stories of those who have gone through difficult times and persisted to turn obstacles into opportunities. Today my subject is:
Abraham Lincoln (Our 16th President)
Abraham Lincoln is one of the most famous failures with a highly influential personality. He is probably the greatest example of persistence on grounds of his failures. If you want to learn about someone who demonstrated persistence, look no further.
Born into poverty, Lincoln was faced with defeat throughout his life. He lost eight elections, twice failed in business and suffered a nervous breakdown.
He could have quit many times along the way but didn’t. And because of his persistence, became one of the greatest presidents in the history of our country!
Here is Lincoln’s road to the White House:
- 1816 His family was forced out of their home. He had to work to support them.
- 1818 His mother died.
- 1831 Failed in business.
- 1832 Ran for state legislature and lost.
- 1832 Also lost his job, wanted to go to law school but couldn’t get in.
- 1833 Borrowed money from a friend to begin a business and by the end of the year was bankrupt. He spent the next 17 years of his life paying off this debt.
- 1834 Ran for state legislature again and won.
- 1835 Was engaged to be married when his fiancée Ann Rutledge died from typhoid fever.
- 1836 Had a total nervous breakdown and was in bed for six months (little-known fact).
- 1838 Sought to become speaker of the state legislature and was defeated.
- 1840 Sought to become elector and was defeated.
- 1843 Ran for Congress and lost.
- 1846 Ran for Congress again and won; went to Washington and did a good job.
- 1848 Ran for re-election to Congress and lost.
- 1849 Sought the job of land officer in his home state was rejected.
- 1854 Ran for Senate of the United States and lost.
- 1856 Sought the Vice-Presidential nomination at the national convention, got only 20 votes.
- 1858 Ran for U.S. Senate again and lost (his final failure?).
What matters most, is not how many times we fail, but that we never cease being persistent. Enduring so many great failures in life the great Lincoln never quit and stretched a long road of failures to the destination of success.
1860 -Lincoln was elected president of the United States as a Republican, defeating Democrats Stephen A. Douglas, John C. Breckinridge and Constitutional Union candidate John Bell.
January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued executive order Proclamation 95, or the Emancipation Proclamation, that changed the legal status under federal law of more than 3.5 million African Americans in the Confederate states from slaves to free.
Lincoln was a champion and he never gave up and we are keeping his message of persistence alive and well today! Together with my colleague, Steven Rogstad, we conduct onsite leadership workshops across the country to teach the principals that made Lincoln great.
So once again, the next time we are tempted to think negatively, please remember our 16th President and draw energy from this inspirational American who turned his problems into opportunities to positively impact others.
