Perseverance is a consistent theme in Biden’s life and career. Here are five highlights, along with how we can incorporate their lessons for our journeys.
The United States’ President-Elect, Joe Biden, has not exactly been an overnight success. From a political career spanning nearly fifty years and a life spanning seventy-seven comes some extraordinary examples of grit and persistence. Perseverance is a consistent theme in Biden’s life and career. Here are five highlights, along with how we can incorporate their lessons for our journeys. Biden has been applying for the same job for 32 years. He first ran for President of the United States in 1988, then again in 2008 before serving as Vice President under President Obama and then successfully defeating President Trump for the main seat in 2020. Third time lucky. Furthermore, when he’s sworn in, Biden will be the oldest USA president of all time. In business and in politics, we won’t always get the gig we want right away. It takes time to establish a brand, build a network, not to mention resonate with and be trusted by an audience. It takes courage to try again. If you truly believe that something will, someday, be yours, does it matter how far in the future that day is? If every day you take baby steps towards a goal, at some point you will get there. Keep your eyes on the prize and your day will come. Biden grew up with a speech impediment, which he has reduced since his twenties. When asked how, he said by reciting poetry in the mirror. In a letter that he wrote to the chairman of the National Stuttering Association in 2009, Biden said, “I still remember the painful experiences and tough lessons of growing up with a stutter, but these experiences taught me this: when you commit yourself to a sustained effort, when you persevere in the face of struggle, and when you find comfort and support from others, you will discover new strengths and skills to overcome the challenge before you.
