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Perseverance

I really liked this article found in today's "Odd News" from The Associated Press:

SEOUL, South Korea – A woman in South Korea who has taken the written exam required for a driver's license nearly every day since 2005 has failed again — but is hoping attempt No. 772 will be the charm.

The aspiring driver took her first test in April 2005, according to Choi Young-chul, an official at the North Jeolla Province driver's license agency in Jeonju, 150 miles (240 kilometers) south of Seoul.

She has taken the test a record 771 times, most recently on Monday, but has yet to pass. She said she plans to take the test again but did not say when, he said Thursday. The 68-year-old has spent 4 million won ($3,000) on fees for the test, he said. Applicants must score at least 60 on the written exam before they can get behind the wheel for a driving test. Choi says she's scored as high as 50.

"I feel sorry every time I see Cha fail. When she passes, I'll make a memorial tablet myself and give it to her," Park Jung-seok, a traffic police officer at the agency, told the Korea Times newspaper.

No other details about her identity were released other than her family name, Cha.

I think there's a real lesson there. Here's a woman who has failed at something 771 times, but is not letting failure, or a fear of failure keep her from her dream. To me it's a great example of the power of persistence and enduring to the end. It puts me in mind of the saying by Winston Churchill: "Never, never, never, never give up."

Comments

!nge said…
Being Asian, I'm rooting for her to get it on her 777th try. It's a lucky set of numbers.
Anonymous said…
I don't understand though, how she could take it 700+ times and not have memorized all the questions, looked up the answers and memorized those. How hard is this test anyway?!?!

And if she does manage to pass it, how many times is she going to need to take the driving exam?

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