Perseverance: The Key To Success

 

Perseverance is continuing to do something in spite of the obstacles or difficulties that may arise. It is one of the best qualities to have, because with perseverance, success in your endeavours is almost guaranteed.

To persevere we need to have faith that we actually can succeed. If we don’t believe success is possible for us, we won’t be motivated to continue. If we don’t have much belief in ourselves, we’ll likely quit our efforts more readily. And when we quit, this seems to give credit to the idea that we couldn’t have succeeded anyway, which further decreases our belief in ourselves. Sadly, this negative loop can develop into a regular habit.

However, the opposite is also true. If we believe that we’ll succeed, then we're less likely to give up. We may encounter great difficulties or even defeats, but because we believe that we’ll ultimately succeed, even with failures, we just change our approach or adjust our goals a little and keep going. Because we keep trying and adjusting, we greatly improve our chances of success. The more we persevere in the face of challenges, the more it becomes a habit.

So, at the heart of success is the ability to persevere. But how do we encourage this quality in ourselves?

Be aware of when you have a desire to give up too early. Then take a pause and remind yourself that perseverance will almost always lead to success. When you start a new challenge or goal, make a promise to yourself that you’ll try it for a specific period of time and won’t quit before that time is up. Make the interval of time short if you need to, but no matter what, keep your promise and don’t quit before the allotted time. When the deadline arrives, you can then decide if your strategy is working and whether you should continue in the same manner, or if you need to make adjustments in your strategy. Allow yourself to abandon one strategy in favour of another if, after you’ve given it a fair trial, it either doesn’t appear to be working, or you think it could be done more effectively. Don’t ever quit on your goals if they’re truly meaningful to you, only change your strategies.