Resilience refers to the finished product. There are many unable to make it to the finish line or finish projects that they start. In our culture if you look at the end game and the finish line, how many people fail to accomplish the major goals in their lives? It all boils down to having the proper attitude to finish what we start.

A marathoner attempts to run 26 miles, but before the body gives in the will to finish can end the run. It goes back to the first Challenge of Leadership: Preparation. A marathon is a metaphor for success and determination that will carry you to the finish line. Your education is a marathon. Your career is a marathon. Your life is a marathon.

Those of you who go on to college, and beyond, who strive to become doctors, lawyers, engineers, and architects, will be in school for a long time. But when you talk to professionals, they will tell you your education is just a beginning. You may have a medical degree; but in the relative world of medicine, you still know very little. You might have a law degree; but in the judicial field, you know very little.

In my first days as a teacher, I was overwhelmed. It took me years to feel comfortable in the classroom. But you have to play the end game with your education and your subsequent apprenticeship, which takes determination and perseverance.

We have created a culture of fast food and instant gratification. We want things immediately.

If we are driving down the highway and someone dares to obey the speed limit, people explode in road rage. We need to have things our way, the right way, and right away.

An obese person probably took years to get that way. But he will send hundreds of dollars to an infomercial with false promises for instant results. The end game requires patience and viewing the big picture. It's impossible to get everything right away. It takes time and persistence and determination. That’s how to successfully play the end game.

Your life is your race with your own rules and your own finish line. If you continue to be persistent and determined, you will get yourself in a position to play the end game, and you will be a winner of the human race. Your definition of winning should be your own, and the rewards at the end of the race will be yours. What more could you ever hope for?

1. Do your actions speak louder than your words? How?

2. How do you rate yourself? Do you finish what you start, or do you let things slide and eventually forget about them?

Do you agree that we live in a world of instant gratification? Why or why not?