If By Rudyard Kipling

If you can keep your head when all about you

Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you

But make allowance for their doubting too,

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,

Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,

Or being hated, don't give way to hating,

And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise

If you can dream--and not make dreams your master,

If you can think--and not make thoughts your aim;

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster

And treat those two impostors just the same;

If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken

Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

Or watch the things you gave your life to,broken,

And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools

If you can make one heap of all your winnings

And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,

And lose, and start again at your beginnings

And never breath a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

To serve your turn long after they are gone,

And so hold on when there is nothing in you

Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,

Or walk with kings--nor lose the common touch,

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;

If all men count with you, but none too much,

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,

Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,

And--which is more--you'll be a Man, my son!

--Rudyard Kipling

WOULD YOU TRY 1009 TIMES BEFORE YOU GAVE UP ?

Persistence and Determination is something inborn unarguably the most important ingredient to success. I have been fascinated by this character commonly found in the greatest entrepreneurs of our time, be it the 6000 trials done by Edison for the light bulb or the 100 loan applications rejected for Sabeer Bhatia.

But the truly greatest act of persisitence and unfortunately the least know can be bestowed upon Colonel Sanders the founder of KFC. Dont confuse this with my sever consumption of fast food or my passions towards fried chicken. He was 60 year old and living on a social security pension of 105 $ when he decide to do something about his situation. He identified that he had a really good recipe for fried chicken and strong will power which will not stop him from retiring at that age.

He decided to sell his recipe to restaurants and make a profit out of sharing the additional revenue made by his finger lickin good recipe. At the age of 60 he travelled around the country and visited 1009 outlets in 2 years before he signed his first successful contract. the rest is history KFC is one of the largest franchisee of fast food with over 33,000 outlets world over. This is truly inspiring for every one who gives up on the second sales meet, or the third interview.

Like Abishek Bachan says in GURU " mere himmath nahi cheen saktha hai, mera himmath sirf mera hai "