Pick Yourself Up – Dust Yourself Off – Start All Over Again
Sep 9th, 2007 by Don Ray
There was a famous Musical in 1936 staring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rodgers. In the movie, Ginger Rodgers tries to teach Fred Astaire to dance. He is clumsy and wants to give up, but he pleads with Ginger Rodgers to teach him. This results in her singing the song, “Pick Yourself Up”. Some of the words to that song follow.
Nothing’s impossible I have found, When my chin is on the ground,
I pick myself up, dust myself off, start all over again.
Don’t lose your confidence if you slip, be grateful for a pleasant trip,
And pick yourself up, dust yourself off, start all over again.
Work like a soul inspired, till the battle of the day is won
You may be sick and tired, but to be a man, my son.
Will you remember the famous men, who had to fall to rise again
So Take a Deep Breath, Pick Yourself Up, Dust Yourself Off, Start All Over Again…
These words are something that I think we all need to remind ourselves every now and then. I know personally that some of the best things that have ever happened to me have occurred following some event that I thought I couldn’t overcome. It is when you look back on those dark hours that you realize that nothing is impossible.
Today, my friend Omar in Panama City, who writes a blog I visit frequently, featured a piece on Steve Jobs. The post contained a Commencement Speech, given by Steve Jobs at the University of Stanford in 1996. While I have always admired Jobs, I never knew much about his past, other than he was responsible for the first computer I ever owned, the Apple II. The speech was very illuminating.
You can listen to the speech by playing the following YouTube video. This is a 14+ minute video, so let it start downloading and relax a bit. If you prefer, here is a URL to the text of the speech.
I thought that was a very inspirational speech and I am going to send a copy to my children and grandchildren. Thanks to my friend Omar for bringing this speech to my attention. The video follows.
