***The Lessons of Endurance

On December 7, 1914, Ernest Shackleton and a crew of 28 men aboard the ship ENDURANCE entered the pack ice off the continent of Antarctica. Their goal? To be the first party to trek across the continent on foot.

It was a goal they would never achieve.

Now, nearly a century later, the tale of ...On December 7, 1914, Ernest Shackleton and a crew of 28 men aboard the ship ENDURANCE entered the pack ice off the continent of Antarctica. Their goal? To be the first party to trek across the continent on foot.

It was a goal they would never achieve.

Now, nearly a century later, the tale of Shackleton and the crew of ENDURANCE remains one of the most fascinating and remarkable examples of human triumph in the face of overwhelming adversity.

The ENDURANCE would sail, through the ice, for just over a month until January 18, 1915 when the ship was trapped in the crushing ice of the Antarctic pack. Despite the efforts of the crew, ENDURANCE would remain lodged in the ice for the next nine months.

The thick ice of the Antarctic pack pressed constantly, threatening to crush ENDURANCE to splinters. That threat forced the crew to abandon ship in October 1915. From now on the party would live on the ice. One month later, the ship sank, stranding the crew -- with minimal stores and three short-boats -- on the drifting pack ice. The men survived for the next six months, killing seals, penguins, and ultimately their own sled-dogs for food.

In April 1916, the 28 men spotted an island on the horizon. The ice floe broke just enough, allowing them to put to sea in some of the roughest waters on Earth. Seven days later they landed on the uninhabited and inhospitable Elephant Island.

Far from regular shipping lanes, Shackleton knew the chances of a rescue from their location were nonexistent. They may be on land but they were far from safe, farther from home. They had little choice: if they were going to be rescued, it would be because of their own actions.

On April 24th, Shackleton set sail, with a crew of five men, for the populated island of South Georgia -- 800 miles away. If they succeeded, he would return for the other 23 men.

The weak but gallant party sailed for 17 days, navigating by sextant, fighting their through storming high seas of freezing water and they made it. --They had reached South Georgia Island, but he horrible weather and their health forced them to land on the uninhabited side of the island. They were close to civilization, but they were not safe, their ordeal would go on a bit longer.

If they were to survive, the men would have to find the strength to act one more time. So, Shackleton and two of his crew, trekked on foot across the island. In 36 hours they traversed 22 miles across the glacier-clad, thousand-feet high mountains to reach the whaling port of Stromness on May 20, 1916.

His attempts to rescue his crewmen left behind on Elephant Island would not be successful for another three months when, on August 30, 1916 -- nearly two full years after they'd initially set out -- Shackleton rescued his remaining crew.

Remarkably, all 28 men survived the ordeal.

Looking back, it seems an impossible ordeal, with one tragedy and obstacle after another. And still, the men of ENDURANCE overcame and survived.

The next time you face an obstacle that seems impossible to overcome remember the story of ENDURANCE... and press on.

Success is gained not by taking the easiest path (or even the one you planned on taking); it is achieved by taking consistent and persistent action until your goals have been achieved.

So long as you believe and endure, you will succeed.