Give it all you’ve got – and more

The legacy I would like to leave my children and grandchildren is one of being achievers throughout their lives, giving more than 100 percent in everything they do; no matter how menial the task, be the best they can be.

During my nonagenarian lifetime, I was instrumental in recommending many persons for supervisory positions. They were persons that would say, “I will give you one hundred and one percent.” Someone once said, “When racing through life and you are about to come in second, make sure that the person ahead of you is breaking the record.” Winning may not be everything, but losing isn’t anything.

At a recent garage sale, I found a unique pamphlet dated 1916-1917 from a teacher to a class of her students, in which she included this beautiful poem by Edgar A. Guest titled “Ambition”:

“If you would rise above the throng

And seek the crown of fame,

You must do more than drift along

And merely play the game,

Whatever path your feet may tread,

Whatever be your quest,

The only way to get ahead,

Is striving for the best.

‘Tis not enough to wish to do

A day’s toil fairly well;

If you would rise to glory, you

Must hunger to excel.

The boy who has the proper stuff

Goes into every test,

Not seeking to be ‘good enough’,

But eager to be ‘best.’

Aim high! And though you fail today

And may tomorrow fail,

Keep pounding steadily away,

Some day you’ll hit the nail.

At no half-way mark ever pause

No smug content to rest,

Who would win honor and applause

Must want to be the best.

The best must be your aim in life,

The best in sport or work,

Success in any form of strife

Falls never to the shirk.

The crowns of leadership are few,

The followers move in throngs,

If you would be a leader, you

Must shun the ‘drift alongs.’”

Michael J. Lacivita is a Youngstown retiree and member of the Ohio Senior Citizens Hall of Fame and the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame.