toughness

Keep A-Pluggin’ Away ~ A Poem by Paul Laurence Dunbar

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Keep A-Pluggin’ Away: Perseverance’s Quiet Power


When storms rise and paths grow steep, it’s not talent or luck that carries us through—it’s steady perseverance and the will to keep moving forward.

Keep A-Pluggin’ Away

Paul Laurence Dunbar

I’VE a humble little motto
That is homely, though it’s true, —
Keep a-pluggin’ away.
It’s a thing when I’ve an object
That I always try to do, —
Keep a-pluggin’ away.
When you’ve rising storms to quell,
When opposing waters swell,
It will never fail to tell, —
Keep a-pluggin’ away.
If the hills are high before
And the paths are hard to climb,
Keep a-pluggin’ away.
And remember that successes
Come to him who bides his time, —
Keep a-pluggin’ away.
From the greatest to the least,
None are from the rule released.
Be thou toiler, poet, priest,
Keep a-pluggin’ away.
Delve away beneath the surface,
There is treasure farther down, —
Keep a-pluggin’ away.
Let the rain come down in torrents,
Let the threat’ning heavens frown,
Keep a-pluggin’ away.
When the clouds have rolled away,
There will come a brighter day
All your labor to repay, —
Keep a-pluggin’ away.
There ‘ll be lots of sneers to swallow.
There’ll be lots of pain to bear, —
Keep a-pluggin’ away.
If you’ve got your eye on heaven,
Some bright day you’ll wake up there,
Keep a-pluggin’ away.
Perseverance still is king;
Time its sure reward will bring;
Work and wait unwearying,—
Keep a-pluggin’ away.

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Paul Laurence Dunbar’s Keep A-Pluggin’ Away is a timeless reminder that success isn’t found in sudden bursts of luck or brilliance but in the quiet, consistent steps we take forward. Life will always bring storms, steep climbs, and moments when giving up feels easier than holding on. Yet it’s in those moments, when persistence seems hardest, that true character is formed. The poem encourages us to look beyond immediate obstacles, to trust that patience and perseverance will uncover treasures hidden beneath life’s surface. With faith, effort, and endurance, brighter days inevitably follow the clouds. Dunbar’s voice is gentle but firm: don’t stop, don’t surrender—keep a-pluggin’ away.

Questions to Dive Deeper

  1. How has perseverance in your own life led to an unexpected reward or breakthrough?
  2. What practices help you keep moving forward when you feel worn down by obstacles?
  3. Where in your life right now do you most need the reminder to “keep a-pluggin’ away”?

Keep A-Goin’! A Poem by Frank Lebby Stanton

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Keep A-Goin’: The Anthem of Resilience


When life throws thorns, hail, or loss your way, Stanton’s words remind us: the only way forward is to keep moving, keep trying, keep singing.

Keep A-Goin’!

Frank Lebby Stanton

Ef you strike a thorn or rose,
    Keep a-goin’!
  Ef it hails, or ef it snows,
    Keep a-goin!
  ‘Taint no use to sit an’ whine,
  When the fish ain’t on yer line;
  Bait yer hook an’ keep a-tryin’—
    Keep a-goin’!

  When the weather kills yer crop,
    Keep a-goin’!
  When you tumble from the top,
    Keep a-goin’!
  S’pose you’re out of every dime,
  Bein’ so ain’t any crime;
  Tell the world you’re feelin’ prime—
    Keep a-goin’!

  When it looks like all is up,
    Keep a-goin’!
  Drain the sweetness from the cup,
    Keep a-goin’!
  See the wild birds on the wing,
  Hear the bells that sweetly ring,
  When you feel like sighin’ sing—
    Keep a-goin’!

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✨ Reflection

Frank Lebby Stanton’s “Keep A-Goin’” is more than a poem—it’s a call to courage. Life’s thorns and roses, its hailstorms and sunny days, come to us all. Stanton’s wisdom is simple but profound: don’t get stuck in defeat. Keep casting your line, keep planting your seeds, keep moving forward even when the path feels heavy. The poem urges us to find joy, even in sorrow, by choosing persistence over despair and song over sighs. What matters most is not the size of our trials but the spirit with which we face them. To keep going is not to deny hardship but to affirm that hope still lives in us, even when circumstances say otherwise.

❓ Questions for Deeper Reflection

  1. What “thorn or rose” in your own life has tested your ability to keep going?
  2. How might perseverance be an act of faith rather than just stubbornness?
  3. When have you chosen to “sing instead of sigh”—and how did that change your outlook?

Light for the Journey: Where You Stumble, Treasure Awaits

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Joseph Campbell reminds us that our greatest challenges are not roadblocks but doorways to deeper strength and hidden treasure.

Mythology tells us that where you stumble, there your treasure is … The world is a match for us, and we’re a match for the world. And where it seems most challenging lies the greatest invitation to find deeper and greater power in ourselves.~ Joseph Campbell

Reflection


Joseph Campbell’s insight points to a paradox: the very places we resist are the ones that hold our greatest gifts. Where we stumble, where we fall short or feel broken, is not a mark of weakness but a signal pointing toward growth. Life meets us as an equal match—its challenges rising to meet our strength, and our strength rising to meet them. Instead of turning away from difficulty, Campbell invites us to see it as treasure concealed beneath the dust of hardship. That treasure is courage, resilience, creativity, and the awakening of our deeper selves. When the world feels overwhelming, remember—it is not against you. It is for you, offering the invitation to discover the immense power waiting within.

Super Agers Bounce Back

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Life knocks everyone down—Super Agers just get back up faster.

Resilience—the ability to recover from setbacks—is a defining trait of Super Agers. Instead of ruminating on hardships, they focus on solutions and maintain a positive outlook. Research shows that optimism is associated with better cardiovascular health, stronger immune function, and longer lifespan (Lee et al., 2019).

Super Agers experience loss, illness, and challenges like everyone else—but their mindset keeps them from being defeated. This resilience protects against stress-related damage, boosts coping skills, and strengthens both mental and physical health.

Action Step: Each night, write down one challenge you faced that day and one way you responded positively. Training your mind to notice resilience makes it grow.

Citation: Lee, L. O., et al. (2019). “Optimism is associated with exceptional longevity.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Light for the Journey: Breaking Free: The Power of Letting Go

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True freedom isn’t in the fight—it’s in releasing the grip that keeps you bound to what you resist.

When you fight something, you’re tied to it forever. As long as you’re fighting it, you’re giving it power. ~ Anthony de Mello

Reflection:

Anthony de Mello’s words challenge our instinct to wrestle with every obstacle. The truth is, when we constantly battle something—a fear, a resentment, a painful memory—we keep it alive in our hearts. The fight binds us to it, giving it more strength than it deserves. Letting go isn’t weakness; it’s courage. It’s the moment we choose to stop feeding the fire that burns us. By releasing the struggle, we open ourselves to peace, clarity, and possibility. Imagine how light life could feel if you no longer dragged old battles into your present. Letting go is not giving in—it’s moving on. And in that release, you’ll find the freedom that was always waiting for you.

Good Luck and Bad ~ A Poem by Grantland Rice

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Why Hard Luck May Be the Best Thing That Ever Happened to You


Good luck might win applause, but it’s hardship that sculpts the soul. In a world chasing comfort, Grantland Rice dares us to choose courage.

Good Luck and Bad

Grantland Rice

GOOD Luck is like a down hill tide
That helps to make an easy start,
Where one may paddle, drift or glide
Without much effort on his part;

But though it takes you to the goal
And brings you in the world’s acclaim,
It builds no fibre for your soul
Nor molds you for the rougher game.

Bad Luck is like an uphill sweep,
The test of courage and of class,
Where troubles grow and shadows creep
And none except the valiant pass ;

Where through raw gales that blow but ill
The entry clings to this lone dream :
The stalwart only stalks the hill
The gamefish only swims up stream.

If your main wish is but to win
Let Good Luck help to pull you through,
To know the cheering and the din
That go where laurel sprigs are due ;

But if you wish to build a heart
That scorns the fickle whims of Fate,
Take Hard Luck for the journey’s start
With rugged Trouble for a mate.

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Reflection:

We often celebrate those who succeed, assuming their path was paved with fortune and ease. But what if life’s greatest growth comes not from ease, but from struggle? Grantland Rice’s poem “Good Luck and Bad” reminds us that smooth sailing rarely shapes us—it’s the uphill climb, the storm against our face, the resistance that builds our inner fiber.

Rice doesn’t dismiss good luck; he simply reveals its limits. It may carry us swiftly to applause, but it won’t prepare us for life’s inevitable storms. Bad luck, on the other hand, is the true tutor. It tests us, exposes our grit, and invites us to rise beyond comfort toward courage.

Hardship doesn’t mean you’re broken. It means you’re being forged. And when you emerge—heart stronger, spine straighter—you’ll know you didn’t drift to shore… you swam upstream.

🧭 Three Questions for Deeper Reflection:

  1. Can you recall a time when “bad luck” shaped you into someone stronger or more resilient?
  2. Are there areas in your life where you’ve drifted on “good luck” but haven’t truly grown?
  3. What “uphill” challenge are you facing now—and how might it be forming your character rather than defeating you?

Life ~ A Poem by Edgar Albert Guest

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Life’s No Dress Rehearsal—So Belt Out the Ballad, Dance Through the Drama, and Frost Your Cake With Joy. Dive into Edgar Albert Guest’s stirring poem Life, a timeless reminder that while grief may knock, joy still sings. This post explores how laughter, perseverance, and soulful choices shape the lives we live.

Life

Edgar Albert Guest

Life is a jest;
  Take the delight of it.
Laughter is best;
  Sing through the night of it.
Swiftly the tear
  And the hurt and the ache of it
Find us down here;
  Life must be what we make of it.

Life is a song;
  Let us dance to the thrill of it.
Grief’s hours are long,
  And cold is the chill of it.
Joy is man’s need;
  Let us smile for the sake of it.
This be our creed:
  Life must be what we make of it.

Life is a soul;
  The virtue and vice of it.
Strife for a goal,
  And man’s strength is the price of it.
Your life and mine,
  The bare bread and the cake of it,
End in this line:
  Life must be what we make of it.

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Reflection:

Edgar Guest invites us into life’s full theater—where comedy, tragedy, and soulful striving share the same stage. In just three stanzas, he reminds us that tears are real, but so is laughter, and while pain can linger, joy is essential. His refrain, “Life must be what we make of it,” isn’t just advice—it’s a challenge to create meaning, to choose beauty, and to craft a life that sings even in minor chords.

🧐 Three Questions to Deepen the Reader’s Experience:

  1. Which line from the poem echoes your current stage of life—the laughter, the ache, the goal, or the creed?
  2. If “life must be what we make of it,” what’s one deliberate change you could make today to shape your life more intentionally?
  3. How does the interplay between joy and grief in the poem mirror your own experience of resilience?

Still ~ A Poem by T. P. Cameron Wilson

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Still

T. P. Cameron Wilson

STILL though chaos
Works on the ancient plan;
Two things have changed not
Since first the world began.
The beauty of the wild green earth
And the bravery of man.

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Preparedness ~ A Poem by Edwin Markham

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Preparedness

Edwin Markham

For all your days prepare,
  And meet them ever alike:
When you are the anvil, bear—
  When you are the hammer, strike.

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When One Door Closes Another Opens

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“If you are brave enough to say goodbye, life will reward you with a new Hello. ~ Paulo Coehlo”

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