 On Thursday, 24th of July 2008, my emotion pushed me to get out of my parents' home as I announced that I will be starting my own business and I wouldn't ever become an employee. I thought I knew what I was doing and even though I was prepared for whatever happens to me, I was inexperienced and underrated how painful the journey could be. Three years, five years and even seven years after I burnt my bridge, I was still broke As I was the first day, then, like a miracle, something happened. I borrowed a book from someone which ignited an idea that led me to build my first successful company. Now, if you ask me the secret of my success, my answer would be stubbornness. Yeah, someone's told me that the word stubbornness connotes some negativity, but I still love to use it because that's what I think it is. Elon Musk said persistence is very important. You should not give up unless you were forced to give up. What I call stubbornness above is what Elon Musk referred to as persistence. While there could be a million principles about success, I can tell you that none of them is as important as persistence from personal experience. Persistence is very important. You should not give up unless you are forced to give up. The Dark Side of Success Mark Victor Hansen and Jack Kingfield are the best-selling authors of Chicken Soup for the Soul book series which has sold over 100 million copies. And guess what? Before Mark Victor, Hansen and Jack Kingfield became the best-selling authors of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, they were rejected by 140 publishers. Their agent told them, I can't sell this book. I'm giving it back to you guys, 140 times. If you think being rejected 140 times isn't a big deal, try being rejected just once. Rejection is painful. It makes us feel bad about ourselves. And if you genuinely want to achieve greatness in life, you'll press forward regardless of what others say about your idea. Persistence is very important. You should not give up unless you are forced to give up. The problem with many young people is that they give up too early. A friend of mine asked me for financial assistance to start a business at the time I was having a problem with my business, so I told him I could not help. This guy felt so bad that he confessed to me that he probably wouldn't ask anyone else for help. I knew from that moment that this guy could never become a successful entrepreneur except he changed his mindset about rejections. Listen. People reject you for different reasons and none of those reasons are good enough to stop you. Some people reject your ideas because they can't simply see the market for your product or service. Others reject your idea because their minds aren't seeing what you're seeing. And there are these other people who like you. But like in my case, can't help you because they have some personal issues you may not know about. In all of these, the solution to your problem is next. Who else can I talk to? That's it. Persistence is very important. You should not give up unless you are forced to give up. Before the Wright brothers became the inventors of modern aviation, they had hundreds of field experiments and glides. Orville Wright later wrote, Our first experiments were rather disappointing. The machine at times seemed to be entirely beyond control. So many people in our generation wish they could try something a few times and get it right. These people wish they could invent something or build a company with a few attempts or in a few months. Think about this. Toyota is one of the most successful automobile companies in the world today. But last year, when I was reading their biography, I discovered that the company was a complete failure in their first 13 years. I mean, for the first 13 years, Toyota only produced 2,685 cars while a competitor at this period was producing as much as 7,000 cars a day. Think about that. If you were the owner of Toyota and you knew that your competitor was selling more cars in a day than you were selling in a year, what would you do? Most people would give up. But the owners of Toyota company were stupid. I mean, who in the world keeps on trying to build a failing business for 13 years? But that's what it takes. Persistence is very important. You should not give up unless you are forced to give up. Stephen Covey built one of the most successful leadership training companies in the world. The company was at a time valued at $160 million. But guess what? This same company made no money for the first 11 years. I mean, they were in debt for 11 years as a company. Again, who in the world keeps on trying to wake a dead dog? Only the fools do that. Which is why intelligence or smartness doesn't win in the race of life. Show me any man who would keep on trying despite unbelievable obstacles and I'll show you a man who will succeed in the race of life. Persistence is very important. You should not give up unless you are forced to give up. Listen to me young people because we are in a generation where almost anything can be done within seconds. We have been spoiled by these experiences. Just last week, I started reading the autobiography of one of my country's greatest leaders, Nigeria. In this book, he wrote about how they usually spend two or three weeks traveling a distance of 170 kilometers. Today, even as bad as the roads are in my country, I'll drive that same distance in less than four hours. When I leave with my parents in our village, they would sit me down and dictate a letter to me. I would write these letters and send them home to their friends or relatives. It would take about one week for my parents to get a reply to the message they sent. Now we can communicate with anyone anywhere in seconds. Our foods, water and clothes come to us just by pressing a few buttons. We have Amazon Prime and we can travel hundreds of kilometers in a few hours. All these experiences have made us believe that anything should be achievable in days or worse a few months. But we're wrong. Real things take time. It doesn't matter how much Tim Ferriss wants you to believe that you can be rich working four hours a week. Things take time and a lot of time. It doesn't matter how much Tai Lopez wants you to believe that you can drive a Lamborghini next month if you give him your $9. My friend, things take a lot of time to build. Persistence is very important. You should not give up unless you are forced to give up. Calvin College said, Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. Will you try to get someone to support your vision but they won't do it? Try someone else. Have you tried to build a business but you're failing? Read the books you haven't read before and try something different. Stop judging yourself harshly and stop believing those who claim to be rich in three months without any effort. Persistence is very important. You should not give up unless you are forced to give up. I hope this video helps someone. My name is Steve Courage. I'm a Nigerian entrepreneur based in Lagos. If you wish to know more about me, see my face and consume videos I make with my face, check the description box and join my new channel. I love you.