Ella Mae Colbert is my new role model.

Perhaps her name doesn’t ring a bell for you. That’s okay. For me, however, Miss Ella Mae is the embodiment of perseverance and a shining example of what you can do when you put your mind to it…no matter what your age.

Ms. Colbert, a retired South Carolina elementary school teacher of 36 years, is 100 years old young. That is certainly amazing, but it’s only half the story. This spirited centenarian recently achieved another stunning feat. Just days after celebrating her birthday on May 11^th, Miss Ella Mae ran the 100-meter dash…in 46.791 seconds. While she likely won’t be sprinting past Usain Bolt anytime soon, she’s a record-breaker in her own right, beating out the time of the previous record holder, Ida Keeling, who ran the 100-yard dash in 1:17.33. So let it be known that Ella Mae Colbert is no slouch…and neither is Ms. Keeling, who was 100 years young when she set her record, and she recently turned 101.

On her first attempt, Miss Ella Mae bolted from her starting position and, after a few steps, she tripped and fell. Hard. While that tumble would have been enough to stop any other 100-year old (and likely many others years younger…), she didn’t allow herself to wallow in misery as she lay on the ground, she didn’t feel sorry for herself nor did she give up. No, not Miss Ella Mae. She got up, bandaged her scraped chin, took her place at the starting line once again and went for the gold.

What an astounding lesson that is.

As Miss Ella Mae put it, “You do not stop. Go ahead. You’ll have some trials and you’ll have some things that get in your way, but you don’t let it get you down. You get up…you go again.”

She’s had 100 years to nurture that wisdom, and her message serves as both a challenge and an inspiration to us all.

In midlife—this sometimes tumultuous time of transition—we may lose our resolve when the slightest setback turns into an all-encompassing failure. Our determination is stalled and we give up all too easily. Miss Ella Mae’s actions show us that, at times, throwing in the towel simply is not an option. But we have to want it—whatever that ‘it’ may be—bad enough that we are willing to put forth the effort for it. 

That willingness to do in the face of adversity, fear, roadblocks or setbacks is the hallmark of determination and tenacity. And it’s doing it on your terms. Perseverance can be painful, it can be grueling, it can be exhausting. But when we push through the obstacles, when we face the uncertainty, when we endeavor to climb that mountain, we come out on the other side with a sense of accomplishment.

Ella Mae Colbert personifies perseverance. She has reinforced in me the need to be persistent as we approach the things we want in and out of life. 

What about you? Do you tackle life with a dogged persistence?