Determination

Brooklyn bridge

 

Hello friend, today (27th July) is my birthday. πŸ™‚
It has been a wonderful journey, and it will keep getting better.

On this day, I would also like to share the below story to inspire you.

In 1883, a creative engineer named John Roebling was inspired by
an idea to build a spectacular bridge connecting New York with the
Long Island. However bridge building experts throughout the world
thought that this was an impossible feat and told Roebling to forget
the idea. It just could not be done. It was not practical. It had never
been done before.

Roebling could not ignore the vision he had in his mind of this bridge.
He thought about it all the time and he knew deep in his heart that it
could be done. He just had to share the dream with someone else.
After much discussion and persuasion he managed to convince his
son Washington, an up and coming engineer, that the bridge in fact
could be built.

Working together for the first time, the father and son developed
concepts of how it could be accomplished and how the obstacles
could be overcome. With great excitement and inspiration, and the
headiness of a wild challenge before them, they hired their crew and
began to build their dream bridge.

The project started well, but when it was only a few months underway
a tragic accident on the site took the life of John Roebling.
Washington was injured and left with a certain amount of brain
damage, which resulted in him not being able to walk or talk or even
move.

“We told those so β€œ,” Crazy men and their crazy dreams”; “It’s foolish
to chase wild visions.” Everyone had a negative comment to make
and felt that the project should be scrapped since the Roeblings were
the only ones who knew how the bridge could be built. In spite of his
handicap Washington was never discouraged and still had a burning
desire to complete the bridge and his mind was still as sharp as ever.

He tried to inspire and pass on his enthusiasm to some of his friends,
but they were too daunted by the task. As he lay on his bed in his
hospital room, with the sunlight streaming through the windows, a
gentle breeze blew the flimsy white curtains apart and he was able to
see the sky and the tops of the trees outside for just a moment.

It seemed that there was a message for him not to give up. Suddenly
an idea hit him. All he could do was move one finger and he decided
to make the best use of it. By moving this, he slowly developed a
code of communication with his wife.

He touched his wife's arm with that finger, indicating to her that he
wanted her to call the engineers again. Then he used the same
method of tapping her arm to tell the engineers what to do. It seemed
foolish but the project was under way again.

For 13 years Washington tapped out his instructions with his finger on
his wife's arm, until the bridge was finally completed. Today the
spectacular Brooklyn Bridge stands in all its glory as a tribute to the
triumph of one man's indomitable spirit and his determination not to
be defeated by circumstances. It is also a tribute to the engineers and
their team work, and to their faith in a man who was considered mad
by half the world. It stands too as a tangible monument to the love
and devotion of his wife who for 13 long years patiently decoded the
messages of her husband and told the engineers what to do.

Perhaps this is one of the best examples of a never-say-die attitude
that overcomes a terrible physical handicap and achieves an
impossible goal.

Often when we face obstacles in our day-to-day life, our hurdles seem
very small in comparison to what many others have to face. The
Brooklyn Bridge shows us that dreams that seem impossible can be
realized with determination and persistence, no matter what the odds
are.

Even the most distant dream can be realized with determination
and persistence.

Leave a Reply

6 responses to “Determination”

  1. Sidwell says:

    It shows that if you put your mind on anything you can achieve it no matter how challenging it may be.

  2. hellen says:

    This is such an awesome inspirational story.
    I feel so encouraged this morning as I read this.
    Thank you.

    • Jim says:

      Hi Hellen,

      Thank you for sharing the positive impact of this article on you.
      Yes, you can read other articles in this website for more inspiration and encouragement.
      Live your best life! πŸ™‚

  3. kamaraj says:

    Amazing. I was bit down today morning this story (Fact) brought me back.
    Thanks a lot for sharing
    regards
    Kamaraj.R

    • Jim says:

      Dear Kamaraj,

      Thank you for reading.
      I’m glad you like it and that it has helped you.
      Continue to stay inspired through this website! πŸ™‚

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