Determination is the desire to reach a goal. It is the mindset that defines what you want and how badly you want it. Persistence is what drives you. It drives you to keep taking action to reach that goal, even when it gets hard.
Of all the traits we’ve written about here over the past several months, habits, focus, productivity, procrastination, motivation, and creativity, it’s determination, persistence, and perseverance that will impact reaching your goals the most.
Why? because when you’re persistent you don’t give up. You stayed focused on your goals and put in the work needed. Sometimes you may have to find different solutions that will work better. You keep trying new things until some thing works. You don’t give up at the first sign of a problem or if some action fails.
It’s the quality that separates the successful from the unsuccessful. Everyone will experience failure or obstacles that seem insurmountable; that’s why determination and never giving up is the key to success.
Never Ever Give Up
There are many success stories and men and women had to overcome defeat and adversity to achieve their goals. They persisted and ended up successful.
Paul Coelho, the author of the novel “The Alchemist,” sold only two copies of his book in the first year. His publisher canceled his contract. But Coelho didn’t get discouraged, he found another publisher, and with word of mouth, his sales took off. Today it has sold more than 250 million copies around the world.
Soichiro Honda invented a new type of piston to improve the car’s performance. But due to natural and political forces, his factory was destroyed. Due to his persistence, he rebuilt his factory for the third time, and Honda Motor Company is one of the most successful companies in the world.
There are other well known success stories, such as J. K. Rowling and Henry Ford that fought difficulties to succeed.
Why you need persistence for success
Because things don’t always happen on the first try, perseverance is a critical factor in success. Persistent people believe they can accomplish anything if they put their mind to it and keep at it.
It helps you learn from your mistakes and analyze any problems to find a better solution. It helps you overcome obstacles.
It’s so easy to look at failing as failure, but they’re not the same thing. Failing at something is a way to see what doesn’t work. Failure only happens when you give up and stop trying.
“If you do not have persistence then no amount of education, talent or genius can make up for it.” — Stephen Richards
How to develop persistence
Here are some steps to help develop this important quality.
- set realistic goals
- develop a persistent mindset
- identify your failures
- overcome self-doubt
- break down tasks into manageable pieces
Set realistic goals
Make sure your goals and expectations are achievable. Just because you are driven to do something and you are persevering doesn’t mean it can be accomplished quickly and easily. Look at what needs to be done and set a plan with what has to be done and a reasonable time to do it.
Develop a persistent mindset
Create a mindset that will stay motivated regardless of the challenges that will occur. View setbacks as opportunities to improve and learn, and that failures are temporary on the way to something better.
Believes you will – Try again and again, and yet again, to reach your dreams. Don’t let anything stop you.
Keep your desire so firmly fixed that persistence is what you do. Know that you will keep going when others would have given up. Know that only through determination, perseverance and persistence do have the success you want.
Identify your failures
Failures happen all the time, don’t let it discourage you. Embrace it, and determine why it happened. What did you do wrong? Once you realize how you can fix it, don’t run away but persist in making changes that will turn them into success.
Overcome self-doubt
Fear and self-doubt can paralyze you and undermine any effort to persevere. You need to become confident and have the courage to do what you believe. You can overcome your fears and self-doubts by trying new things and finding solutions. As you discover new ways and get answers, doubts will leave you and you’ll find the ability to proceed.
Break down tasks into manageable pieces
It’s hard to be persistent if your work seems too challenging and overwhelming. Break it into small manageable pieces that you feel are doable. Focus on one small task that you can work at with persistence. As you accomplish each task, you’ll see the progress you’re making, and it will inspire you.
Conclusion
There is a Japanese proverb that says: “fall down seven times, get up eight”.
Now the math may be questionable, but the sentiment is correct. Don’t give up in the face of challenges; anything of real worth will take struggle and perseverance.
Success does not have to be fast—what’s more important is that no matter how many times you get knocked down, you must get up again.
And that is persistence and why it’s the most essential quality for success.
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