Most people quit just shy of their goals.

They give up when they are tired or discouraged or demoralized.

They give up when they don’t to see the results of their efforts; when they can’t see the finish line.

The story about Florence Chadwick, the first woman to swim the English Channel in both directions, is particularly illustrative.   Florence wanted to be the first woman to swim from Catalina Island to the coast of California.

On July 4th, 1951, she made her attempt.

The distance was challenging. But more than that, the waters of the Pacific were icy cold; and shark infested. And, as if that weren’t enough, there was a dense fog that made it impossible for her to see the land.

After almost 15 hours of swimming, Florence gave up. She quit. Just half a mile short of her goal.

When interviewed later, Florence said, “If I just could have seen the land, I might have made it.”

Well, Florence gave it another shot.

But as luck would have it, there was the same icy cold water; and, of course, there were sharks.  And yup, a thick fog too.

She couldn’t see.

But this time, Florence made it. She achieved her goal, breaking the men’s record by nearly two hours. Because she kept reminding herself that the land was there. Somewhere, off in the distance, a finish line.

Even though Florence couldn’t actually see it, she knew.

What if Edison had given up on try number 9,999? What if Jonas Salk had said ‘I just can’t stand the lab for one more day?’ What if Michelangelo had said, ‘Great ceiling, a lot of promise, but my back is sore?’

Their missions were too important. They didn’t give up. They knew with confidence that they would cross their finish lines.

So don’t quit!

Hold fast to your vision.

Lather, rinse, repeat… and keep on going!