The Power to Persist: 8 Simple Habits to Build Lifelong Resilience
Lamell J. McMorris
Fast Company Press (September 2025)

“To strive,  to seek, to find, and not to yield”

As I began to read this book, I was again reminded of Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s poem in which an aging Ulysses urges his loyal warriors to join him in one last great adventure:

“Tho’ much is taken, much abides; and tho’
“We are not now that strength which in old days

Moved earth and heaven; that which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.” (65–70)

Tennyson’s Ulysses reaffirms what Lamell McMorris would characterize as “the power to persist.” His life thus far offers a case study to illustrate the principles that he advocates. McMorris has indeed “walked the talk” and continues to do so with compelling, impactful eloquence

I was also born in South Chicago, attended public schools there, and was raised in the Windsor Park neighborhood. For that reason, despite significant differences, at least during our teenage years, McMorris and I shared many of the same dreams, fantasies, ambitions, and self-doubts while also being raised by a single parent who worked long, exhausting hours in a local dime store. She was (by far) the most persistent person I have ever known

These are the passages in The Power to Persist that caught my eye:

o A Code fcor Reslience(Pages 11-18)
o Mini-profile: Demitrea Kelley and the Power of Resilience (26)
o Seven Ways to Adopt a Positive Attitude and Increase Your Resilience (27-36)
o The Power of Work Ethic (46-49)
o Seven Ways to Embrace A Work Ethic That Will Increase Your Resilience (49-57)

o Mini-profile: Ana Diego and the Power of Resilience  (66)
o Seven Ways to Be Agile and Increase Your Resilience (66-76)
o The Power of Vulnerability (80-83)
o Seven Ways to Use Vulnerability to Increase Your Resilience (84-94)
o The Power of Your Network (99-104)

o Mini-profile: Victoria Pryson and the Power of Resilience (105)
o Seven Ways to Use Your Network to Increase Your Resilience (105-114)
o The Power of Focus (118-122)
o Mini-profile: Tony Plunkett and the Power of Resilience (122)
o Seven Ways to Use Focus to Increase Your Resilience (122-132)

In Chapters 8 and 9, McMorris shifts his and his reader’s attention to “Dogged Determination” and “Faith,” adding two more mini-profiles.

I thoroughly enjoyed the pleasure of Lamell McMorris company as I worked my way through the adventures that have comprised the journey thus far of his life of experience, discovery, and positive impact. In the final chapter, he explains why “the time to develop and then apply the power of persistence is NOW.”

* * *

Here are two suggestions while you are reading The Power to Persist: First, highlight key passages. Also,  perhaps in a notebook kept near-at-hand (e.g. Apica Premium C.D. Notebook A5), record your comments, questions, and action steps (preferably with deadlines). Pay special attention to the Introduction: “On the Road to Resilience,” Conclusion points in Chapters 1-9, and the Afterword: “How Phase 2 Can Help Your Business and Community.”

These two simple tactics — highlighting and documenting — will expedite frequent reviews of key material later.