Are you persistent or are you a wimp who gives up at the first sign of difficulty or failure?!
“When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you, till it seems as though you could not hang on a minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.” – Harriet Beecher Stowe
Being persistent is one of the keys to success in any area of life. But just how can you develop this important skill?
Here are my 6 secrets to help you do just that:-
1. Believe in Yourself
There is no shortage of talent in the world, but there is a shortage of self belief and the willingness to keep going even when the odds are against you or when it doesn’t look like you are going to achieve your goals.
We have all seen less talented people achieve more than more talented people, because of their willingness to keep going.
Add self-belief to talent and you can become unstoppable.
Obviously talent or having something of value to add to the world is very important and ideally a combination of the two is ideal, but self belief makes the seemingly impossible possible. Not to be underrated!
2. Be Passionate About What you Do
Choosing projects that you are passionate about makes being persistent more natural. But if you we go into something half heartedly or because you feel obliged, the hard times seem harder.
If you continuously get stopped in an area and lack the motivation to continue, have a look and see what’s going on.
It might be that you are not really inspired about what you are doing or maybe you have just lost sight of the bigger picture of why you are doing what you are doing.
Either way, life’s too short to be doing things you are not passionate about.
See if you need to change what you are doing or change your perception.
And remember to strive for excellence!
3. Choose Your Battles Wisely
Sometimes a challenge makes you realise that you don’t really want a goal as much as you thought you did.
So you may end up choosing not to be persistent in that area – and that’s perfectly ok.
Challenges can be a way of weeding out what is important to you and reprioritising.
The knack is in being honest with yourself. Do you really want to give up the goal or are you just lacking in self belief?
Only you can answer this question for yourself.
4. Be Aware of Your Own Patterns
I know one of my patterns has been to give up “when it gets too hard”.
So now when I have a decision to make about whether or not to continue with something, I ask myself honestly: “where am I coming from here?”
Am I running this pattern again or do I really want to stop doing this?
You might need to learn when to give up and when to be persistent. Your pattern might be that you never, ever give up even when you are no longer aligned with your original goal anymore.
We are all different and have different patterns. Being aware of your patterns takes away their power over you, thereby enabling you to take a step back and make an informed choice.
5. Break Through the Wall
We have all “hit the wall” in or efforts to achieve something. Being aware beforehand that there may be such a wall ahead, makes us forearmed when we hit it.
When this happens it isn’t the time to give up!
Nothing is impossible and there is a way around most things.
A change of attitude or perception may be needed or just the willingness to keep going despite any obstacles.
Time and time again, I have seen that when others and I have “hit the wall”, if you keep going, miracles do happen. It may be hard but very often the goodies are around the corner, you just can’t see it yet!
When you break through the wall, what seems impossible is transformed. You redefine what is possible for you and your lives, and nothing is the same ever again.
And how inspiring is that!
6. Build on Your Successes
Celebrating your successes helps you feel good about ourselves and build momentum.
Don’t underestimate the power in this. Some people never see the good in what they do. Don’t be one of those people who make life very hard for themselves and for whom nothing is ever good enough.
Actively seek out your successes on a regular basis and celebrate!
The Way Forward
So where in your life will you be more persistent from today?
Good luck with achieving whatever you want in your life – as Adidas say in their advertising – impossible is nothing!
This is a guest post written by Jen Smith
Photo courtesy of Randy Son Of Robert
Thanks for having me here Arvind! 🙂
Jen
Thanks Jen for an excellent article which I know my readers will find most useful.
There have been times in my life when I have been very persistent and at other times, I have just given up.
Your 6 secrets have given me fresh food for thought and ideas to keep going, no matter what.
Assuming of course that what I am striving for is still resonant with me:-)
Becoming aware of my own patterns has helped me a lot. I’ve had a tendency to back off from a goal when I’m close to achieving it, and I realized it was a fear of success that was stopping me. While it is true that success brings its own challenges, I’ve realized that as long as the goal is in alignment with my values, there is no reason not to keep pursuing it to the finish line.
Hi Jean
It is good to hear how you became aware of your own patterns and why you were stopping yourself. This is a perfect example of what I was talking about. Being aware of the patterns we run, gives us real power – we run the show rather than them!
Very good point – if your goal is in alignment with your values it really makes it so much easier!
Thanks for your comment Jean.
Jen
Thanks Arvind. It is unbelievable how far a few passion rockets can take you. I would say that alone will lead to very powerful results–speaking from some fun life experience.
-Scott
Hi Scott
I am glad you enjoyed the post. I love that term ‘passion rockets’!! I agree – passion is a remarkably powerful thing and can help us achieve what might seem impossible.
Thanks
Jen
Dear Arvind
Ok, so its clear in these 6 secrets that I should never give up. Therefore it was only me who blocked that road which leads to success, noone else.
Thank you.
Hi John
A good summary – it is often ourselves that get in our own way isn’t it?
Thanks for your comment.
Jen
Thank you, Jen, for such a balanced, thoughtful post. When I first began, I was a bit frightened that with such a topic (“persistence”) it may overly emphasize the “push, push, push ahead” mentality and not take into account the other side –> that sometimes pressing through the wall isn’t a good idea at all … and gives you a bad headache to boot! 😉
You eased my concerns immediately with your approach and the way you integrated the assessment of difficulty, drive, and passion into your steps. You’re right: sometimes these obstacles may help us understand that this is not what we want or what we are passionate about at all. They can help us change our tack.
I like that you encourage the celebration of successes, as well. A very sound, enjoyable read! 🙂
Hi Chania Girl
I am glad the topic didn’t scare you off. I know what you mean – the “push, push, push ahead” mentality is not my style either. I think I found this easy to write about as it is something that I struggle with myself. I think that always helps us understand an area better.
Thanks for your feedback! 🙂
Jen
What a great topic. I am familiar and encourage others to follow these points. The picture is quite appropriate…love it. Hope you are well.
Take Care,
CC
Thank you! I am glad this was helpful.
Jen
thank you for the inspiring work.it has made me realise were I was laking and I hope to implement what i have leant
Mathias, welcome to my blog and thanks for your kind words.
Let me know what other topics you would like me to cover.