“Perseverance is the key to success in life son,” my dad always used to tell me. When I was younger I thought he was trying to give me a life lesson, not one of the biggest tips I would ever receive. I also never thought that it would come to the time when I would not only need to persevere, but to also learn to what degree was necessary. What went from any old saying changed into one of the many mottos and themes I live by today in a matter of seconds. When I was just going into fifth grade, my parents decided to go on an adventure and so my family of four moved to Maine. Dad, I don’t want to leave! I have all I want here,” I used to say, but my father always responded adeptly “all you need to remember is to persevere and you will be well accomplished. ” When we moved, one of the primary objectives of my parents was to locate an exceptional swim team, for swimming was my sport at the time. Come a year later when I would be appearing at the top of my age group for swimming; there was a high probability that I would be going to the state championships and had a chance to achieve the first place title in the state.
Jump ahead approximately a year, and my parent’s predictions were coming true. I was about to obtain the first place title with only a couple more races still ahead. It was not until my next race that I was able to learn the true meaning of my father’s saying; perseverance is the key to success. On my best event the subsequent day, an official made a mistake that cost me the championship title. He disqualified me on the finish of the event, causing me a loss of twenty points on my final score.
My family and I were in disbelief when we had heard the call. Once I ducked under the overhang at the edge of the pool, I began tearing up, but then remembered my father’s saying. At that very moment; that very second I fully realized the true meaning perseverance. I then made up my mind to not back down at the end, and ended up receiving third place at finals. Ever since that day my father’s “silly old saying” of persevering has taken me through life and has made me who I am today.
