I think that if anyone should know much about persistence and not giving up, it must be Canadian born actress Mary Pickford. Born at the end of the 19th century, she worked on stage and on screen for five decades. She was also a renowned producer and one of the founding members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. A woman achieving success in such a competitive, male-dominated industry and time is inspiring. Many times can we see failure as a fall, a misstep, a roadblock to the dreams we have for ourselves and our lives. And often it is easiest to give up. Then, true failure has occurred. It is not the missteps or the roadblocks that are our failures. They are simply learning tools on a journey to success. Much of culture tells that our success needs to be achieved swiftly and whilst we are young. Otherwise we are "over the hill", "past it" or some other less than flattering judgement. However, when we are young we are lacking these wise i...