One of the most remarkable stories of perseverance and resilience is one you've probably never heard of.
In the isolated town of Gehlaur, India, local villagers had to walk a treacherous 50km path around a mountain ridge, just to access schools, farming fields and the main hospital.
One day, a villager walking this ridge, slipped and fell off the mountain, badly injuring herself. She later died from these injuries, as the nearest medical facility was 70km away - on the other side of the mountain.
Struck by this loss, her husband Dashrath Manjhi channelled his grief into action. He could never let this tragedy happen ever again.
He vowed to carve a path through the mountain.
Using a hammer and chisel, he began chipping away at one of the hills, hellbent on creating a road that would service his village.
He was mocked and ridiculed by his fellow villagers, saying that it was impossible. He ignored the naysayers, and continued on his mission - slowly but surely chipping away at the mountain. One swing at a time.
Over the course of 22 years, Manjhi eventually achieved his goal.
He carved a road straight through the mountain. It was 110m in length, 9m wide and 7.6m deep.
This road reduced the travel distance between the neighbouring villagers from 55km to 15km and meant that the local villagers would never have to walk that treacherous mountain ridge ever again.
Manjhi was unofficially titled 'the Mountain Man'. The guy literally moved a mountain to achieve his goal.
Manjhi's story illustrates the incredible, unseen value that perseverance and time have.
Though Manjhi didn't have the resources to pay a construction crew to carve through that mountain, he had focus, patience and time.
Next time you feel impatient about your growth or 'success', think about Manjhi.
Think about Mountain Man.
