Winston Churchill was one of the greatest leaders of the 20th Century. As Prime Minister of Great Britain, it was his leadership that helped win World War II. He was a smart, tough, determined, indefatigable and inspirational leader.
There is a nexus, a connection, between the philosophy and mindset of Winston Churchill and the Karate Institute of America. What is it?
First, this question. What one quality is common to every one of the current 63 Black Belts of the Kiado-Ryu and soon to be 64? By the way, the current number of KIA Black Belts represents a mere 2% of those who have studied at the KIA in its 36 year history. Thus, the quality each of them possesses is rare, indeed, but nonetheless universal among each and every one of them? Guessed it yet?
Here are three Churchill quotes exemplifying the quality that each KIA Black Belt reflects and, in fact, this quality is also common to every achievement of any individual in any field of endeavor throughout history.
You only have to endure to conquer.
Never, never, never, never give up.
If you are going through hell, keep going.
So what is the one word nexus we’re looking for? If you said Persistence you are absolutely correct. Persistence is the ability to never give up; it is that quality that defiantly and boldly states, “I’m not quitting and will never quit until I reach my goal.” Persistence is only one word, but its spirit and energy are endless, timeless, universal. To achieve anything in life, to endure any hardship, to rise to the top rung of any ladder we must persist, unrelentingly and defiantly. And if we do, if we endure to the end and never give up, a laurel wreath of triumph will surely be ours and set us apart from the “also-rans” who only wished and dreamed but never conquered simply because they did not persist, i.e., they gave up before the goal was reached.
Therefore, let Churchill’s words ring in your ears when going through tough times or when pursuing any dream or any goal …
Never, never, never, never give up!