Many of the failures in our lives often come because of either a lack of effort or a lack of persistence in that effort. That’s why a lot of people with great ideas never end up capitalizing on them. Having a great idea is just the first step to true success. Once in a while you’ll read about someone that had an unbelievable idea that completely took off with little or no effort, but it’s rare. The majority of the success stories out there have some type of conflict, struggle, or obstacle to overcome in them. That’s part of what makes them a great story. The struggles we go through in our lives are what make us who we are, and make us appreciate all the good things that come our way.
The key aspect of persistence is that you have to be willing to do the things you don’t want to when you don’t want to do them. It’s those hard times when the rewards seem far off in the distance that you have to have the passion to continue on. That passion can come from many different places. If you happen to love what you do, then the passion can come from your complete interest in your work, and how much you believe in it. If you’re not really that passionate about the work itself, you can still be passionate about the goals you’ve set to accomplish. Some people are able to block out their dislike or disinterest for their work and concentrate fully on the ends (money, benefits, perks, etc) to justify the means. Whatever drives your motivation, make sure that you utilize that to help you get through the tough times. Anything that we can focus our energy to in order to push through should be looked at as a helpful tool available to you when you need it most.
So why is persistence so important? For one, it’s a requirement for success in one way or another. The chances of you truly being successful without at least a little bit of persistence is slim to none, so it’s not something that you can get by without in most cases. Secondly, if you’re too quick to give up on your ideas or career situations you risk losing out on a lot of potential benefits in the long run. Some of the biggest breakthroughs only came about because of the multiple failures that came before it. Those rough times are what build character and make the successes seem that much more special. While we never want them to happen, we should make the best of them whenever they do. It’s an opportunity for personal growth, and something that we can use to fuel our fire that much more.
A lot of what it takes to be persistent has to do with the support system you surround yourself with. Doing it alone is something you should only do when you don’t have a choice. Otherwise, use the strengths of others to help you overcome your own weaknesses, and you’ll be able to achieve so much more. You don’t want to throw away all your hard work in a fit of weakness, and possibly setting yourself back to square one. While persistence may seem like something you need to keep from letting things slip away, it can really be the start of the next challenge to take you to the next level in your progress. Every struggle is a stepping stone, and persistence is just what makes you keep lifting your leg.
