I really truly believe success is about perseverance. Sure you need some decent brains, a good team, being in the right place at the right time, some luck and so on. It clearly takes a lot to be successful as an individual or as a business.

But ultimately, it is about not giving up, believing in yourself and just continuing to push hard even in the face of adversity. My parents managed to get out of Romania even with two young kids in tow and not a penny to their name. They made a great life for their family eventually bringing us to Canada. My wife launched her own graphic design business straight out of school and has been running it very successfully for many years. You just have to decide you are going for it no matter how hard it is.

And now, my oldest daughter reminds us of this in spades. We were at her elementary graduation this morning. It was a beautiful affair in the brand new church in Stittsville and all the kids looked great. The place was packed with lots of proud family. They called up several kids for awards and although we were hoping she would get something, we knew the odds were not great.

She has struggled with ADHD every since she was little but we have refused to drug her. She has a beautiful sparkling personality and an amazing imagination that we don't want to snuff out. It is a gift even it makes school very difficult. So she has to work harder ... everything takes twice as long to do as her peers and she meets with a tutor every week on top of us staying on her case (especially her mother who doesn't let up thankfully ... just like my mother who would study with me late into the night). Her marks have steadily improved with all the hard work to such a degree that she won a medal for having the most improved scholastic achievement. It is a big deal and the lesson learned is even more important than anything else she may have learned in school ... don't give ... don't give up ... don't give up!

Cheers,

Allan