As I write this blog I am sitting in the lobby of our hotel in Washington DC on a beautiful sunny morning and I can’t quite believe this is happening. The journey to this trip started 16 months ago when I was introduced to a man called Kimo Kippen.

Kimo is the VP, Global Workforce Initiatives for Hilton and we had a chance meeting in Dubai in June last year. I was over there meeting with potential clients and was staying in a Hilton Doubletree. When I returned from a trip out I noticed that there was a cake and people in the lobby.

Conrad Hilton

Sherif the general manager introduced me to Kimo who was there to lead the 97th year celebration of Hilton Hotels. It all started in 1919, when Conrad Hilton bought his first hotel. Today, Hilton Hotels & Resorts stands as the stylish, forward thinking global leader of hospitality. We had a brief chat then he suggested we connect on Linkedin.

We met again in Poland later that year, then I met Kimo again in London a few months ago when we discussed my coming over to Washington to run my Mental Resilience Masterclass for some of his key staff. This was a long but fun journey which led to my presentation three days ago.

A great group to work with

I am pleased to say that the feedback from this session has been positive and it was a wonderful group to present to. I thoroughly enjoyed sharing techniques on how to perform better under pressure and to handle stress more effectively. It has been a great pleasure to get to know Kimo which is an added bonus to this adventure.

Recently I came across this story of persistence which is quite amazing.

Grandmother Passes Driver’s License Test after 950 Attempts

Cha Sa-soon lived alone in the tiny mountain village of Sinchon in South Korea. She always wanted to learn to drive, but didn’t begin the process of trying to get a license until she was in her 60s. Needless to say it was – literally – a difficult road.

Grandma Sa-soon failed the written portion, consisting of 40 multiple choice questions 949 times; the concept of many of the questions were confusing to her, being an elderly woman living in a remote village.

She finally made it

Finally, on the 950th attempt she got a passing grade of 60 and moved on to the actual driver’s test which she only failed 4 times before getting passing marks.

By this time all of South Korea knew of her persistence and she became a national hero. She was even given a Kia Soul and appeared in their commercial.

I wonder how many times I would have attempted this exam if I were in her shoes – 10, 20, 50?

Thoughts for the week:

1. The best things often take longer.
2. Do you have persistence to keep going when you can’t see the finish line?
3. Persistence is a key attribute to success and is worth developing.
4. It may seem like you will never get there but just keep going.

Well that’s it for this week have a wonderful weekend and stay positive. I’m off for a burger!

Warm regards

John

Off the Wall – How to Develop World Class Mental Resilience available here
https://www.jdmindcoach.com/product/off-the-wall-how-to-develop-world-class-mental-resilience/ (Special offer. Put in code 10POUND when prompted to receive a signed copy for £10 including postage and packing – UK only)