Never give up!

What type of person are you? How many times do you have to be denied, come across a setback, an obstacle or seemingly insurmountable odds for you to say "Enough is enough, I've tried my best but my best just isn't good enough"?

Once, twice... maybe three times? Yeah if you stuck it out and got three rejections that's a pretty good effort... don't you think?

Let's look at the life of a man you've probably heard about and see if you think the same at the end:

At age 3 his younger brother dies.

Age 9 he is kicked in the head by a horse and thought dead. Same year his mother dies.

Does 'work for hire' for neighbors at the age of 16 to help support his family.

At age 19 his sister dies in childbirth.

At age 23 the village store he works in goes broke. In the same year he is a losing candidate for Illinois General Assembly.

The next year his own grocery store business fails.

At 24 he is elected to the Illinois General Assembly.

His love interest dies at age 26.

Re-elected to the Illinois Gen. Assembly at age 27, but suffers severe depression at the end of that year then turned down in a marriage proposal at age 28.

Re-elected to the Illinois Gen. Assembly, becoming Whig floor leader (speaker) twice more at ages 29 and 31, but files for bankruptcy in the same year. Suffers another bought of depression.

Unsuccessful in try for the Whig nomination for U.S. Congress at age 34.

At 37, elected to the U.S. House of Representatives

He then has a major down turn in his "luck" as over the next 7 years, he loses renomination for the senate, his father dies, his son dies, he loses running for the senate twice and is defeated for vice-president.

But at the age of 52 Abraham Lincoln is elected as the 16th President of the United States.

What does that tell you about persistence and unshakeable self-belief?

Many junctures in his life would have been justifiable for Abraham Lincoln to say "I've tried my best but it's just too hard", but he didn't.

So when do you know enough is enough?

You really don't, but what you do know within yourself is that you are on the right path.

If the goal is clear, keep your sight on it at all times. Through the good and the bad, know that you are heading in the right direction and will make it in the end if you strive and make the effort.

So next time things seem tough ask yourself "What would Abe do?"