Success is wired in your DNA
My great-grandfather fought in World War I. A young, 18-year-old German man, he marched with his countrymen to Russia to fight on the Eastern Front. He had no clue what was in store for him.
As we know now, Germany lost the war, with the Eastern Front particularly disastrous for both sides. Millions died — both from war and the extreme cold — and millions disappeared. My great-grandpa was one of the latter.
He, a young man still in his teens, became stranded in a hostile country. He had no way of returning home except by foot. And so, he began walking.
He walked.
And he walked.
And he walked.
Until, three years later, he arrived at his family’s doorstep. His family had written him off as long gone, and his return was met with a combination of disbelief and joy. When everyone, including his family, had given up hope, my great-grandfather had not. This entire family benefited from his perseverance, and I would not be here today without it.
Unfortunately, my great grandpa died before I was born. I never had the opportunity to meet him or hear about his journey directly from him. That doesn’t mean I relate to it any less because I believe his story serves as a strong metaphor for the human quest for purpose.
We all envision a future for ourselves with goals we aspire to achieve. Whether these goals may focus on our career, family, or lifestyle, they all require a long and sometimes daunting journey. As such, they all also require dedication and perseverance.
My great-grandfather’s journey not only reminds me that great and daunting dreams are achievable, but that the ability to succeed is encoded in my DNA. He passed his perseverance and determination to my grandmother, to my father, and then to me. As long as I can summon the courage, I can achieve what most may believe unfathomable.
Perseverance and determination reside in all of us. We all have ancestors, like my great-grandfather, who had to overcome incredible hardship and fight impossible odds. The world has seen massive wars, deadly plagues, and incredible upheaval, and our ancestors survived.
But they did not only survive, they built the world we live in today. Each and everyone one of us is the descendant of perseverance, grit, and ingenuity. Like those before us, we all have the capability to overcome imaginable odds and create the future we all envision.
For this world, one built on our own perseverance, grit, and ingenuity, becomes the world our own descendants will inherit.
