Press On!

I was reminded about the importance of “pressing on” several times over the last week. The first time I saw it was in the Daily Guideposts where the writer shared Philippians 3:12, including Paul’s encouragement to “press on.” The writer needed to hear those words because she felt as if she wasn’t prepared for a task at hand.

Later in the week, a friend shared her personal struggles but walked away with a renewed commitment to stay focused and not to give up. That’s pressing on.

I recently saw a Facebook post of a young student’s school assignment. The question was, “What would you do if someone pushed you down on the playground?” The child’s response, “Get back up.” That’s pressing on.

Jack Canfield, author of the “Chicken Soup for the Soul” books, relates a story that the book was rejected by 130 publishers, but still he and his partner tried every avenue they could think of until they finally found a publisher who took a chance on them. The book went on to become a best seller with well over 80 million copies in circulation, and opened the market for a lucrative and ongoing series. That’s pressing on.

Who’s been to a Disney theme park? Watched a Disney movie? Or enjoyed a Disney cartoon? Before Walt Disney created the Disney brand, he was fired from his newspaper job because his editor said he “lacked imagination and had no good ideas.” He went on to create Mickey Mouse and company, and to build a theme park in a swamp. That’s pressing on.

And, the world of sports is full of athletes pressing on. As we welcome the world’s top female tennis players to Daniel Island, a prime example of pressing on comes from the 2002 Australian Open. Two Family Circle Cup (Volvo Car Open) champs were battling it out in the Grand Slam final. Martina Hingis was up 4-6, 0-4 against Jennifer Capriati. In what has been dubbed the greatest comeback in women’s Grand Slam history, Capriati fought off four championship points in that second set and went on to win the match 4-6, 7-6 (9-7), 6-2.

After the match, she related that she once lost a match herself after holding nine match points, so she knew a comeback wasn’t impossible. “Even though I was coming from behind, I always thought I could come back. I never thought about being defeated out there,” she said after the match. That is pressing on.

Press on!

Suzanne Detar’s book - “Don’t Lose the Ball in the Lights and Other Life Lessons from Sports” - is available for purchase at Island Expressions, 126 Seven Farms Drive, and online in print and as an ePub at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Google Play and iBooks. Learn more at www.SuzanneDetar.com.

Daniel Island Publishing

225 Seven Farms Drive
Unit 108
Daniel Island, SC 29492 

Office Number: 843-856-1999
Fax Number: 843-856-8555

 

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