Austin proudly wears three hard earned gold medals he won at a regional competition. The noteworthy accomplishment is a direct result of his perseverance in training over the last year

Aaron with two Gold medals he won at a the Kansas City Classic.

Perseverance is more than just a word we recite at the beginning and end of class, perseverance is defined as "steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., esp. in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement". Quite often it is not the most talented and gifted student that wins in the end, but the student that had to struggle the entire way and as a result has learned the value of hard work and discipline.

If I had to choose between two kinds of students I would choose the untalented student that always works hard and refuses to give up over the naturally gifted athlete that has never had to work hard to excel. This is because the "untalented student" understands the value of perseverance. In other words, the "untalented student's" talent is perseverance. A "talented" student will continue as long as he can succeed without much effort but a student with perseverance will try and try again UNTIL he finally succeeds. With perseverance any skill can be acquired and any goal can be realized.

What's the difference between an excellent black belt and other students?
The black belt didn't quit when things got difficult. The black belt didn't allow difficulties, mistakes or losses to turn into frustration. The Black Belt learned perseverance. The Black Belt has taken what others consider setbacks or failure and has turned them into positive learning experiences and personal goals. The Black Belt has made more mistakes and experienced more hardships than others and accepts them with a smile knowing that this is what makes him stronger. Often inexperienced martial artists develop a sense of false confidence in their techniques. An inexperienced martial artist may falsly believe that his techniques are good enough because he's never truly been tested or had to overcome real adversity. The true Black Belt has stuck with training long enough to seek out, overcome, outlast and outsmart every kind of adversity that good training and tough competition could throw at him turning what was some would consider failure into the kind of experience that builds true confidence real champions.

- Scott Stevens

A historical example of perseverance

Abraham Lincoln could have quit many times - but he didn't and because he didn't quite he became one the greatest presidents in the history of our country.

"The sense of obligation to continue is present in all of us. A duty to strive is the duty all of us all. I felt a call to that duty."

Probably the greatest example of persistence is Abraham Lincoln. If you want to learn about somebody who didn't quit , 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.

Despite his upsets, Abraham Lincoln was a champion who never gave up. Here is a brief overview of President Lincoln's long road to the White House:

1831 - Failed in business
1832 - Defeated for legislature
1833 - Second failure in business
1836 - Suffered Nervous Breakdown
1838 - Defeated for Speaker
1840 - Defeated for Elector
1843 - Defeated for Congress
1848 - Defeated for Congress
1855 - Defeated for Congress
1856 - Defeated for Vice President
1858 - Defeated for Senate
1860 - Elected President