The Importance of Persistence

by Raymund Tamayo

Persistence is the capacity to persevere despite oppositions, challenges, obstacles, and discouragements.

Have you ever asked yourself how persistent you are? 

Do you easily give up on things the moment you encounter resistance or do you hold on and continue doing what you have to do? 

However, the key is to have the wisdom and discernment to know when and when not to quit. 

Also, keep in mind that you can always quit on the how, but not on the why.

Persistence Muscle

Persistence is like a muscle. You need to work it out to become strong in your character.

In terms of success, persistence is arguably the most powerful trait. 

The most obvious reason is that if you don’t continue doing something, then you will not succeed on completing it. 

If you are not persistent in pursuing your goals, ambitions, and dreams, then there is no way you can expect them to come true in your life. 

The people that ultimately get what they want in life are those that have tried and failed, then tried something new and failed again, then tried something new again until they finally get what they want.

The Tip of the Iceberg

Sometimes, when you look at successful people, you fail to realize the journey they had to take to get to where they are now.

Most often you overlook what it took for them to be in that standing. The sacrifices they had to give, the bunch of failures they endured, and the ridicules of people who never believed in them until they eventually got it done.

You fail to realize that these people were actually once in the position where you are right now, or perhaps even further back, and they decided, and persisted, that they will not give up on their dreams. 

That is most probably the reason why they are where they are right now.

Much Bigger Goals

If you are looking up to someone right now and admiring what he has achieved in his life, chances are he is still envisioning much bigger goals to achieve. 

He is still persisting through a whole new level of oppositions and challenges. 

It is because persistence never ends. 

As long as you have a dream, a vision, persistence is going to be the key to ultimately get there.

“How long should you try? Until.” – Jim Rohn

Having a Vision

Unfortunately, persistence does not come naturally. 

It is always easier to give up and walk away than to persevere. 

Having a vision, or beginning with the end in mind, really does something to motivate you in pursuing your goals.

Vision is Not Enough, Action Should Follow

Taking action is the hardest part of achieving goals and an extremely long and extensive process. 

Things will eventually get difficult and frustrating and mental preparation is of utmost importance. 

As in every good endeavor, there will surely be roadblocks up ahead and it would be easy to lose focus and just throw in the towel and quit. 

But the fact is nothing beautiful ever comes easy. 

Achieving worthwhile goals always require discipline, effort, and, of course, a whole lot of persistence.

Roadblocks

A good way to view these roadblocks is to treat them as stepping stones or training courses. 

Since persistence is like a muscle, you can actually learn persistence and train yourself to be persistent. It is a skill, so it can be developed. 

Being persistent is simply the ability to bounce back from failures and powering through challenges and roadblocks that come in your way.