It is the final day of 2012.

How did the last 365 days go for you?

Like me, I’m sure you made mistakes.
Like me, I’m sure you missed some great opportunities.
Like me, I’m sure you tried and failed on few of those days.

Guess what?

That doesn’t matter today and it certainly won’t matter tomorrow. You’re smallest victories are greater than you toughest defeats.

One of my favorite stories is the one in which Sir Winston Churchhill returned to his alma mater to give the commencement address in 1941. Britain had already been engaged in conflict in Europe and no doubt moral was low all across Great Britain. The Prime Minister’s words helped to change that.

But for everyone, surely, what we have gone through in this period of ten months this is the lesson: never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never-in nothing, great or small, large or petty – never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.

I love this! Forget what happened last year. Let go of your fear. Stand tall. Start anticipating what’s ahead.

On his blog last week, Michael Hyatt posted the following poem. I wanted to share it with you today on this last day of the year. May it inspire you. May it bring you hope. May it push you to work, to dream, to act. May God give you his grace and mercy in 2013. And what ever happens: never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never-in nothing, great or small, large or petty – never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.

What Ever You Do, Don’t Quit
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must, but don’t you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don’t give up though the pace seems slow—
You may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than,
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up,
When he might have captured the victor’s cup,
And he learned too late when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out—
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far,
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit—
It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit.

via MichealHyatt.com