In 1869 a one armed Civil War veteran named Major John Wesley Powell was determined to be the first man to explore the full length of that vast river of the Grand Canyon. He headed out with three boats and nine other men. It was against the advice of the Native Americans who predicted a certain death. At one point the rapids became so strong that three in his party left and began to walk to civilization. O. G. Hallen his brother Cinica and Bill Dunn tried to convince Major Powell to quit the river. We surely will die if we don't quit this journey they said.

Ironically only they died. They left at what is now known as separation canyon and were never heard from again while Powell and his group survived. As it turned out the remaining group had only two more sets of rapids to traverse before the waters calmed and they made it all the way. Fear conquers Faith in some. Faith conquers fear in others.

If you are going to quit, do it right away - because the first two years of anything are the hardest and success ensues when you persevere thereafter. Everything can look like a failure in the middle. That perception becomes reality only when you quit before you've succeeded.

Major John Wesley Powell is a glowing example of the dictionary definition of persistence: To refuse to give up especially when faced with opposition. His tenacity enabled Powell to triumph over negative thinkers. The German philosopher Johann von Goethe astutely observed: "There are but two roads that lead to an important goal and to the doing of great things: strength and perseverance. Strength is the lot of but a few privileged men; but perseverance may be employed by the smallest of us and rarely fails of its purpose, for it silent power grows irresistibly greater with time."

The apostle James also exhorts us to be persistent when facing life's challenges: "Blessed is the man who perseveres under trials, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him." James 1:12

Job is an example of a man who endured patiently. From his experience, we see how the Lord's plan finally ended is good, for He is full of tenderness and mercy. Persistence and perseverance are twin virtues which, when harnessed, keep us from quitting prematurely and yielding too quickly to discouragement. Here are some ways to utilize the power of persistence for yourself.

Burn Your Ship. This lesson comes from the Spanish explorer Hernan Cortes (1485-1547). In 1519, he outfitted several ships in Cuba to explore the coast of Mexico. After landing at the southeastern Mexican coast, Cortes ordered the men to have all the yardage, sails, metal fittings, and the cannon removed from the ship. HE then ordered the ships to be burned so there would be no retreat. It must have been a painful sight for his crew, standing on a hostile beach with a mysterious continent to their backs, to watch their ships be consumed by flames. By burning his ships, Cortes committed himself and his soldiers not only to survival but to conquer whatever obstacles came their way. To deepen your own persistence power, burn the ships of your life. In order to ultimately triumph, kick out the props from underneath and burn the bridges behind. Make the commitment and say "No retreat!" Fortify yourself by recalling and reciting these words from the apostle Paul: "But this one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead." (Philippians 3:13).

Conquer by Continuing. Generating persistence power is not a complex process. The simple truth is that you can conquer by merely continuing. Very few successful people start out successful. Theodore Geisel, better know as Dr. Seuss, took his first book to 20 publishers before the 21st accepted it. Likewise, inventor Thomas Edison often made as many as 50,000 trials before coming up with a workable product.

Take Advantage of Adversity. "You never really lose until you quit trying." Says NFL football coach Mike Ditka. If you have a dream, goal, or objective, do not allow yourself to be discouraged because of adversity. Use misfortune to further energize you. Rather than give in to adversity, draw strength from it. This technique is utilized by Chris Moon, a former member of the British Army. In 1995, the 35-year-old lost his forearm and right leg (from the knee down) in a land mine explosion in central Africa. While recovering from his wounds, Moon watched the London Marathon on television. This inspired him to become a marathon runner and raise money for land mine victims. From his own military experience, he knew that land mines maim or kill approximately 26,000 people each year around the world.

True to his vision, Moon learned how to run again using a prosthetic leg. Self coached, he began training as soon as he left the hospital. Since then, he has completed several traditional marathons as well as completed the 143-mile marathon in the sand through the Moroccan Sahara. He has raised thousands of dollars for land mind victims. In 1998, Moon's personal triumphs and public achievements were internationally recognized when he was invited to carry the torch into the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.

Disarm Your Doubts. There will be times when a voice within you seems to shout: "I doubt if I can be a writer." "I doubt if I can start my own business." "I doubt if I can return to school." Whenever that happens, doubt your doubts. Remind yourself there are always compensations for the assets you lack. Consider W. Somerset Maugham, an author who established an outstanding reputation as a novelist. Yet, early in his career, he admitted his inability to "Turn a graceful metaphor, create a pleasing simile or compose a lyric phrase." He also said: "I had a limited vocabulary."

Yet he found ways to compensate for what was missing. "It seemed to me that I could see a great many things other people missed." He said, "I could put down in clear terms what I saw. I had a logical sense, if not a great feeling for the richness and strangeness of words, and a lively appreciation of their sound. I knew I should never write as well as I could wish, but I thought I could arrive at writing as well as my natural defects allowed."

Interestingly, an encyclopedia article describes Maughman as a "writer whose work is characterized by a clear unadorned style, cosmopolitan settings and a shrews understanding of human nature.

Be Guided by Ancient Wisdom. For centuries, poets and philosophers have extolled the power of persistence. Let their words of wisdom guide you:

Little by little does the trick. -Aesop

Many strokes fell tall oaks. -John Clarke

Great souls have wills; feeble ones have only wishes -Chinese Proverb

Every noble work is at first impossible. -Thomas Carlyle

Great works are performed not by strength but by perseverance. -Samuel Johnson

Dripping water hollows a stone. -Lucretius

People don't know how close they are to realizing their dreams and living the life they desire.

You are closer to living your dreams than you think. All you need is dedication and perseverance and the ability to survive doubts and criticisms of those closest to you. But whatever people say or do don't let them take your focus off your dreams.

You are because you dream. Dare to Dream!

Stewart Cruse