You may find it necessary to “snap” out of your mental inertia， through a similar procedure，moving slowly at first， then increasing your speed，until you gain complete control over your will. BePERSISTENT no matter how slowly you may， at first，have to move. WITH PERSISTENCE WILL COMESUCCESS.
If you select your “Master Mind” group withcare， you will have in it， at least one person whowill aid you in the development of PERSISTENCE.
Some men who have accumulated great fortunes，did so because of NECESSITY. They developed thehabit of PERSISTENCE， because they were so closelydriven by circumstances， that they had to becomepersistent.
THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR PERSISTENCE！
It cannot be supplanted by any other quality！
Remember this， and it will hearten you， in thebeginning， when the going may seem difficult andslow.
Those who have cultivated the HABIT of persistenceseem to enjoy insurance against failure. No matterhow many times they are defeated， they finallyarrive up toward the top of the ladder. Sometimesit appears that there is a hidden Guide whose dutyis to test men through all sorts of discouragingexperiences. Those who pick themselves up afterdefeat and keep on trying， arrive； and the worldcries， “Bravo！ I knew you could do it！” The hiddenGuide lets no one enjoy great achievement withoutpassing the PERSISTENCE TEST. Those who can’ttake it， simply do not make the grade.
Those who can “take it” are bountifully rewardedfor their PERSISTENCE. They receive， as theircompensation， whatever goal they are pursuing.
That is not all！ They receive something infinitelymore important than material compensation—theknowledge that “EVERY FAILURE BRINGS WITH ITTHE SEED OF AN EQUIVALENT ADVANTAGE.”
There are exceptions to this rule； a few peopleknow from experience the soundness of persistence.
They are the ones who have not accepted defeatas being anything more than temporary. They arethe ones whose DESIRES are so PERSISTENTLYAPPLIED that defeat is finally changed into victory.
We who stand on the side-lines of Life see theoverwhelmingly large number who go down indefeat， never to rise again. We see the few whotake the punishment of defeat as an urge to greatereffort. These， fortunately， never learn to acceptLife’s reverse gear. But what we DO NOT SEE， whatmost of us never suspect of existing， is the silentbut irresistible POWER which comes to the rescueof those who fight on in the face of discouragement.
If we speak of this power at all we call it PERSISTENCE， and let it go at that. One thing we allknow， if one does not possess PERSISTENCE， onedoes not achieve noteworthy success in any calling.
As these lines are being written， I look up frommy work， and see before me， less than a block away，the great mysterious “Broadway，” the “Graveyard ofDead Hopes，” and the “Front Porch of Opportunity.”
From all over the world people have come to Broadway， seeking fame， fortune， power， love，or whatever it is that human beings call success.
Once in a great while someone steps out from thelong procession of seekers， and the world hearsthat another person has mastered Broadway. ButBroadway is not easily nor quickly conquered. Sheacknowledges talent， recognizes genius， pays off inmoney， only after one has refused to QUIT.
Then we know he has discovered the secret of how to conquer Broadway. The secret is alwaysinseparably attached to one word， PERSISTENCE！
The secret is told in the struggle of Fannie Hurst，whose PERSISTENCE conquered the Great WhiteWay. She came to New York in 1915， to convertwriting into riches. The conversion did not comequickly， BUT IT CAME. For four years Miss Hurstlearned about “The Sidewalks of New York” fromfirst hand experience. She spent her days laboring，and her nights HOPING. When hope grew dim， shedid not say， “Alright Broadway， you win！” She said，“Very well， Broadway， you may whip some， but notme. I’m going to force you to give up.”
One publisher （The Saturday Evening Post） senther thirty six rejection slips， before she “brokethe ice and got a story across. The average writer，like the “average” in other walks of life， wouldhave given up the job when the first rejection slipcame. She pounded the pavements for four years tothe tune of the publisher’s “NO，” because she wasdetermined to win.
Then came the “payoff.” The spell had been broken， the unseen Guide had tested Fannie Hurst，and she could take it. From that time on publishersmade a beaten path to her door. Money came so fastshe hardly had time to count it. Then the movingpicture men discovered her， and money came notin small change， but in floods. The moving picturerights to her latest novel， “Great Laughter，” brought100，000.00， said to be the highest price ever paidfor a story before publication. Her royalties from thesale of the book probably will run much more.
Briefly， you have a deion of what PERSISTENCEis capable of achieving. Fannie Hurst is noexception. Wherever men and women accumulate great riches， you may be sure they first acquiredPERSISTENCE. Broadway will give any beggara cup of coffee and a sandwich， but it demandsPERSISTENCE of those who go after the big stakes.
Kate Smith will say “amen” when she reads this.
For years she sang， without money， and withoutprice， before any microphone she could reach.
Broadway said to her， “Come and get it， if youcan take it.” She did take it until one happy dayBroadway got tired and said， “Aw， what’s the use？
You don’t know when you’re whipped， so nameyour price， and go to work in earnest.” Miss Smithnamed her price！ It was plenty. Away up in figuresso high that one week’s salary is far more than mostpeople make in a whole year.
Verily it pays to be PERSISTENT！
And here is an encouraging statement which carries with it a suggestion of great significance—THOUSANDS OF SINGERS WHO EXCEL KATESMITH ARE WALKING UP AND DOWN BROADWAY
LOOKING FOR A “BREAK” —WITHOUT SUCCESS.