Newspapers once reported about a young Taiwanese man who wrote 700 love
letters to his girlfriend in a two-year period. A letter almost every day! Seven
hundred letters telling of his undying love for her and encouraging her to
accept his marriage proposal.

Two years of sending letters got results. She announced her engagement...to
the postal worker who delivered all those letters! (I suppose she just became
accustomed to his face.)  Lucky for the mail carrier that her boyfriend didn't
give up too soon!

There may be a time to give up, but there is certainly a time to persist. My
kids, for instance, often wanted to give up music lessons. We encouraged them
not to quit. "Stay with the lessons,"  I told them.  I have spoken with many adults
who have said, "I used to take music lessons when I was a child. I regret the
fact that I quit too soon. I wish I knew how to play the piano today."

I have never talked with an adult who said, "I took music lessons when I was a
child. I regret the fact that I didn't quit sooner!"

Of course, it's not about music lessons...it's about knowing when to stay with
something and knowing when to quit. How many books were never written
because someone quit too soon?  How many relationships died prematurely and
how many dreams never came to fruition because someone gave them up?

Maybe it's not yet quitting time.

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