Cesar’s ancestors were goatherders, and his father was a goatherder.  In their tiny Swiss village, there were fewer than two hundred people.  His mother and father disagreed over his future.  His mother had great ambitions for her son, while his father felt he should stay on the farm and tend the animals.  Cesar’s mother won!  He was sent to school in Sion, Switzerland to learn French and math.  At the end of two years, he learned little of either… you see, all he wanted was to tend goats!  Both parents began to worry and even his father agreed that he should do something more ambitious, so the father wrote a friend in a nearby town and actually paid the friend to hire young Cesar as a waiter in his hotel.

 

The boy was eager to learn and tried his best, but the more he tried, the more nervous he became.  His mistakes and poor service to the hotel customers increased to such a level that the hotel manager had no choice but to fire him.  He told the young boy, “You are not cut out for this type of work.  Go back to the village and tend goats; that’s what you were meant to do.” 

 

Cesar was heartbroken.  He loved the work but was crushed by the failure.  Unable to face his parents, he did not return home but went to Paris and once again, worked in the hotel business.  What happened after that is what dreams are made of!  In fact, his last name is now in the dictionary!  It is defined by Webster’s dictionary as “elegance.”  The boy’s last name?  Ritz, Cesar Ritz, founder of the great hotel chain that has come to symbolize the best in service and luxury.

 

We have all felt like young Cesar Ritz.  We fail or do not meet the expectations of others, and life begins a downward spiral.  It was once said that it is not what happens to us in life that counts, but how we react to life’s events.  One person’s tragedy can be another’s triumph.  There are few human beings who have not faced difficulty.  Many have started life with disadvantages, whether physical handicaps or economic barriers.  These situations can be used as crutches or building blocks.  The choice is up to you.

 

If there is one defining talent or quality in the universe that can almost guarantee success against all odds and has lifted the most common of men and women to greatness, it is persistence.  If you think about it, persistence is not really a talent; it is a state of mind, a personal decision.  It is the decision to never surrender or give up regardless of what happens to us.  What matters most is our reaction and our action.  Persistence coupled with passion is an unstoppable force!

 

“Twixt failure and success the point’s so fine

Men sometimes know not when they touch the line,

Just when the pearl was waiting one more plunge,

How many a struggler has thrown up the sponge!

Then take this honey from the bitterest cup:

There is no failure save in giving up!”