“Perseverance is a great element of success. If you only knock long enough and loud enough at the gate, you are sure to wake up somebody.” – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

An old Chinese proverb (or curse) reads: “May you live in interesting times.” Researching this phrase reveals that it is generally understood as referring to experiencing much upheaval in life – the implication being that the most difficult times are the most interesting and the most rewarding too. They challenge and test us, and occasionally they can bring out the best in us. And like it or not, we live in interesting times.