Perseverance is the key to success

[Tuan]

For those of you who have not successfully cleared the Part 2 exams after your first attempt and feel down, then I have two things to share with you.

The first is a comment that I got from Sylvester Stallone from watching his Rocky movie. In many ways, sitting the Part 2 exams is similar to being in a boxing ring.

We all have setbacks in life, big and small. Some happen when we least expect it and they knock us down.
Getting back up off the ground, when we don't think we can - that's the real victory and what makes all the difference in life.

The second is a lovely poem that someone sent to me.

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don't give up though the pace seems slow--
You may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than,
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up,
When he might have captured the victor's cup,
And he learned too late when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out--
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far,
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit--
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.