Most people never run far enough on their first…
Most people never run far enough on their first wind to find out if they have a second. Energy. Perseverance. Stamina.
— from Failure & Resilience (Challenge/Failure/Perseverance/Accountability/Flexibility/Resilience) · Sick Souls, Healthy Minds- How William James Can Save Your Life by John Kaag
In the book
And remember the lesson of the geological fault — communities and people that are rigid, that cannot make room for their own weak points, do not bend under pressure; they crack. And then there is perseverance. Most people, William James noticed, never run far enough on their first wind to discover that they have a second; the trick is simply to keep climbing — to find the next curve while you are still on the first, before you can even see where it ends. The impatience to watch for is the one Rabbi Weinberg named: you want to be great, you just want it to happen in a single day, and on that day you want to sleep. […] Stay adaptable. It is the adaptable who survive; shift to neutral and find the next step when you're stuck. Persevere to your second wind, and aim not merely to survive the stress but to grow stronger from it. To my children, and to theirs: — Failure & Resilience (Challenge/Failure/Perseverance/Accountability/Flexibility/Resilience)