“BELIEVE!” -Ted Lasso
Perseverance is continued effort, the determination to reach a goal and work at it until you do. It is the unwavering commitment to continue putting in the hard work even when it stops being fun or easy. It's crucial to understand the profound significance of perseverance. Perseverance isn't just a word; it's a mindset, a way of life, and a key that can unlock the doors to your dreams and aspirations. In the face of challenges, setbacks, and uncertainties, it's your unwavering determination that will guide you toward triumph. In the face of adversity, persistent individuals rely on their reserves of courage and determination.
Life is a journey filled with peaks and valleys. It isn’t fair. Some of us will face greater challenges than others, but along this journey, every one of us will inevitably encounter obstacles that at first seem insurmountable. Imagine a world where everyone gave up at the first sign of difficulty. There would be no progress, no innovations, and no success stories. But life’s difficulties are just a test. How do you respond when you encounter obstacles? The precursor to perseverance is resilience, another one of the most important characteristics to have if you want to be successful in life. Resilience is the ability to be cheerful and successful after something difficult or traumatic has happened to you. Resilience and perseverance are not the same, but they are sister values that when unleashed empower us to overcome adversity. We might need some resilience right now, and some perseverance in a moment. During tough times perseverance becomes your greatest ally. It's your decision to keep going when the going gets tough that transforms your lowest low to your highest high.
“If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” -Frederick Douglas
If you are not struggling, you are not learning. Failure is temporary. People who embrace struggle as an opportunity to learn achieve far more in life than those who strategically avoid it. Adversity sparks innovation and creativity. It teaches invaluable lessons about resilience and the power of hope. Adversity fosters a sense of gratitude for the things often taken for granted, such as family, health, and stability. Moreover, overcoming hardship often leads to a heightened sense of empathy and compassion towards others facing similar challenges, creating a supportive community. It is very, very difficult to see in the moment, yet in many cases adversity is a gift that prepares you for the future. If it doesn’t strengthen you, it may enable you to help others through a similar challenge.
Perseverance is not fearlessness. It requires you to acknowledge your fears and push forward despite them. It's about learning from failure rather than being disheartened by it. Understand that failure is not the end; it's a stepping stone to success. Each failure teaches you valuable lessons, strengthens your character, and prepares you for the challenges that lie ahead. Remember, some of the most successful people in history faced numerous failures before they achieved greatness. Thomas Edison once said, "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."
Perseverance is closely linked to passion. When you are passionate about your goals, your dreams ignite a fire within you, and perseverance comes naturally. Your passion fuels your determination, making you resilient in the face of adversity. Identify what is truly important to you and pursue it with unwavering determination. Your passion will act as a guiding light, illuminating your path even in the darkest of times.
Pioneering psychologist Angela Lee Duckworth’s New York Times bestseller defines grit as the blend of passion and perseverance.
Perseverance requires patience. Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither are any contemporary great achievements. Success takes time, effort, and continuous dedication. One of the great lies of our era is that you can achieve enduring success quickly and/or with little effort. It’s so tempting to believe, but this message leads so many to a life of disappointment and depression. A much better message is found in the following algorithm:
Hard Work + Positive Attitude + Perseverance = Success
Perseverance requires the ability to keep working diligently, even when results are not immediate. Trust the process, trust your abilities, and trust that your hard work will eventually pay off. Step by step.
Good News: Resilience and perseverance are not inborn. They are a choice. You can choose to be resilient and persevere anytime. If you are a student who just failed a math quiz, you can start right now by quickly processing your feelings of disappointment, resolving to work on those types of problems again and again until you understand how to get them right consistently. If you are a teacher and your supervisor just wrote a largely negative post-conference report about your teaching after a classroom observation, you can quickly and professionally process your feelings of disappointment, research what exactly your supervisor would like to observe the next time they are in your classroom, design your lessons to meet those expectations, and practice those routines until the next observation.
Wherever you are in life, whether it be facing adversity at work or in your family life, carry the torch of perseverance with you. Let it be your guiding principle, your unwavering companion, your light in the darkness, and your source of strength.
“Everything will be OK in the end. If it’s not OK, it’s not the end.”
-Unknown
Choose noble goals and work relentlessly to achieve them. Embrace challenges as opportunities to grow, failures as stepping stones to success, and setbacks as temporary hurdles on your path to greatness. With perseverance, hope, passion, and patience, you have the power to overcome any obstacle and achieve the extraordinary. Believe that good will ultimately triumph, never give up, and transform your goals into reality.