OCTOBER 21st - The Importance of Sticktoitiveness



On this day in 1989, rescue workers found Buck Helm alive inside his car four days after an earthquake caused a freeway to collapse in San Francisco. Helm survived there for 90 hours after a beam that had fallen kept his car from being utterly demolished. When the workers found him he had a skull fracture, three broken ribs, nerve damage and was severely dehydrated. He also had the will to survive. To not give up. It’s an important trait to have. Where would Sly Stallone be if he had given up on his career? Probably a footnote for the adult-entertainment video industry. But instead he made Rocky. And Rocky II. And Rocky III. Hell, Rocky IV ended the Cold War. Did he give up after Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot! Nope. (And FYI, any movie with not one but two exclamation points in the title will not be good). And did he give up when they told him he was too old to be an action hero? Nope. Which is why he’ll be making The Expendables until he overdoses on HGH and dies in his 80’s. The Expendables 16 - The terrorists picked the wrong old-folks home. The truth is you never know what’s round the bend. Poor Buck died from complications a month later, but he got through that damn earthquake. He got to see his loved ones again and didn’t die in darkness. Not everything is as dire as all that when it comes to not giving up--but sticktoitiveness is never a bad trait (unless you are a bad person--people probably want you to give up if you’re not giving up on your goal of leaving flaming bags of poop on doorsteps). I don’t pretend to have anything figured out, but I’d venture to say that sticking around, sticking it out, and not giving up is about 50% of the battle. If you know what comprises the other 50%, quit being so stingy and share. With me. We don’t need everybody knowing the secret to life. Point is, if what you are pursuing is worth a damn, don’t give up on it. If Sly can come back from Stop!...anything is possible.

This day has been Marked.

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