I’ve always liked the 1965 song, “Hang on Sloopy” by the Yardbirds,
but I can’t tell you why. The only lyrics I know are “Hang on
Sloopy, Sloopy hang on.” Supposedly, “Sloopy” was a jazz
singer from Ohio named Dorothy Sloop, who was singing in
New Orleans under the name “Sloopy,” and not the dog named
“Snoopy” in Charles Schultz’s Peanuts comic strip. Why the songwriter
Bert Berns was encouraging Sloopy to hang on remains a mystery to me,
but I somehow have taken these words to heart and find that hanging
on is a life philosophy that makes sense in most situations. Knowing
when to let go and when to hang on is often the most difficult decision
you will have to make, as you proceed along the path of life.
For me, riding a mechanical bull may be the closest thing I know to a
simulated life. There is always a twist or turn, an unexpected move,
and a multitude of other ups and downs to throw you. And, just like
in real life, you have to hold on and try to regain your balance, or you
will be thrown. At a rodeo, you only have to hold on for eight seconds,
but in life, the ride never stops until its over.
Never ever letting go has changed many a failure into a success.
Perseverance in whatever you do is a necessary quality that some
people find difficult to learn. Yet, many winners are just losers who
kept on trying. “Sticktoitiveness,” my own coined word, is considered
by many to be a minor virtue. However, it is one that continues to
convert failures into successes. You may notice that most overnight
successes have been out there working their hearts out with little or no
recognition for twenty years or more.
One of the nice things about perseverance is that it is a power that
actually increases with time, unlike many other things that tend to
diminish as time goes on. I rely on the eternal “try-angle” of taking one
step at a time, often realizing that sometimes it is necessary to take a
step backward, or to stand your ground for a while, before trying
to move forward again. A consistency of purpose basically requires
you to learn to wait and to accept the fact that nothing happens
easily, and that patience, perseverance and pursuit of purpose are
necessary elements of success. Learning how to wait is difficult
for impatient people, such as myself. Yet, patience is the secret to
success. We have often heard, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try
again.” This happens to be one of the world’s greatest understatements.
We should really say, “If you fail time after time, until everyone else
tells you ‘you are crazy not to stop,’ stick to your guns and try again.”
Keep looking for the ABCs of success – ability, breaks and courage.
You can often succeed with any one of those three, but when they
converge into one magical moment, your patience will be rewarded.
Hang in there. Don’t give up. Stay your course; and you will be amazed
at what can happen when you stick to something long enough. I know I’ll
be a success someday. I probably just need more time.
I’m not myself today and everybody has noticed the improvement 5