In 1968 in Canada, two gunmen entered a bar where Richard Blass, a gangster, was and shot him several times. Richard was able to escape unscathed. Two weeks later, he was tracked to a Montreal Suburb. The motel was set on fire and three people died, but Richard escaped again. In October, Richard Blass was injured by shots to his head and back after being ambushed inside a garage. He was still able to escape driving through the garage door. Blass was hospitalised for his wounds. Then in the next year, January 1969, Blass went to jail for shooting a cop and for a bungled bank robbery.

Within the first year of serving four consecutive terms of ten years in jail, Blass managed to escape. He was caught, thrown back into jail, and escaped a second time. With a spurt of freedom and blood in his eyes, he set out and killed two people. Everyone else in the bar was locked in and the place set on fire. He escaped again.

This is not to encourage crime. However, positive life lessons can be drawn even from negative events. The same goes for this story.

Here are some lessons to be learnt:

1. Don’t give up
2. It is not over yet until you conquer
3. No matter what you are passing through, don’t let loose of your inner strength
4. Always remember that you can survive that situation
5. Your resilience in the face of troubles and situations will help toughen your skin against subsequent confrontations
6. Tough times never last, but tough people do.

Apply these lessons for good use in your own life.