The definition of perseverance is “a steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement.”
We are now more than one-half through 2013. How are you doing on accomplishing the goals you set on Jan. 1? There are many people who strike out on the journey to success. It may be a journey of losing weight, becoming debt free, writing a book, closing a certain amount of loans, or making just so much money. Having the knowledge of the path we need to take is one thing but having the perseverance to stay on that path until the end is another.
I write and talk much about mindsets and how to achieve success by changing the habits of your thinking. But without this one mindset—the mindset of perseverance—you cannot achieve all that you were destined to achieve. Maybe there is a voice whispering to you right now “you don’t have what it takes—so just quit now,” “just wait until tomorrow” or “not now, later.”
While perseverance is an “attitude” or a way of thinking, it is also a choice. You choose to keep working diligently toward the goal you have set.
You make a firm decision that you will not let up, give up or shut up, until you have reached your goals. Each day you can make the choice to keep going and keep trying.
What hinders the mindset of perseverance? The mind block of procrastination is the enemy. It may have slipped into your world and told you it would be easier to settle for average, regular, mediocre. That’s the mind block that wants to postpone, put off, to do it later. The saddest consequence of this mind block is lost opportunity.
Calvin Coolidge said, “Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'press on’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.”
There comes a point when you have “heard enough,” “had enough” or “hurt enough” that you are willing to do whatever it takes to achieve and build the life you were intended to live. This can happen when you’ve heard enough: You probably already have all of the intellect and knowledge you need right now for success. You have accumulated much information in your days on earth. You probably have read the books, gone to the conferences, listened to motivational recordings. But there does come a day when you have heard enough. But that “head” knowledge needs to travel the critical 12 inches to your heart. Your heart must become engaged for you to persevere. Perseverance requires heart.
There comes a time when you have just had enough. You are sick and tired of being sick and tired. You realize only you can change you. It is always easier to just blame someone else because you are where you are and then just sit down and quit. But after a while of sitting in a pool of self-pity, you may come to the realization of the truth—you made the choices that landed you here.
You can whine or you can win, but you can’t do both. It is only by persevering (a steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement) through the hard times, the rough places, and the dark valleys, that you achieve true success.
This can happen when you have hurt enough: Financially, physically, emotionally, spiritually, you will get to the place where you will do something, anything, and everything, for a change. After Hurricane Rita destroyed one of my husband’s businesses, I knew I needed more income from my business until his business could be rebuilt. The truth is, at the time that happened, my heart was not in my work and I was really looking for a way out. But then I realized that our family was headed to a severe financial “hurt” unless I could make some drastic changes.
As I began to pursue excellence with my mortgage practice, gradually my heart became engaged. I had been settling for mediocrity and as a result was suffering financially. As I worked toward my new business goals and dreams, I was slowly falling back in love with my profession. And the strange thing was, the more my heart became engaged, the more my business prospered.
Many times the reason we don’t persevere is because we tried something once and we failed. King Solomon said “a righteous man falls seven times and rises again.” Successful people are not those who have never fallen nor failed. They are individuals who just keep getting up.
Thomas Edison failed 10,000 times before he invented the electric light. He didn’t give up—he persevered. He is quoted as saying “Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.” I don’t know about you, but I’m glad Edison did persevere. What can I say? I do love electric lights.
In fact, many of the great achievements that have been accomplished by tired and discouraged men and women who just kept on failing, getting up, failing, getting up. They persevered. Whatever is in your heart to do—just keep trying. Don’t give up because you fall. Future generations will be thankful when you persevere.
