"Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan “Press On” has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race."- Calvin Coolidge
What Is Persistence?
Persistence is the ability to maintain action regardless of your feelings. You press on even when you feel like quitting. When you work on any big goal, motivation will fluctuate many times. Sometimes you’ll feel motivated; sometimes you won’t. But it’s not your motivation that will produce results — it’s your action.
Persistence allows you to keep taking action even when you don’t feel motivated to do so, and therefore you keep accumulating results. Persistence will ultimately provide its own motivation. If you simply keep taking action, you’ll eventually get results, and results can be very motivating. For example, you may become a lot more enthusiastic about dieting and exercising once you’ve lost those first 10 pounds and feel your clothes fitting more loosely.
New Goals vs. Old Goals
For years (12 or more) I've been trying to lose weight and get in shape. I thought that by joining various fitness clubs, purchasing strange equipment and starting questionable diets I could work the magic I so desperately wanted. Each attempt failed…miserably! Some attempts would last two weeks, one lasted 3 months. Weight was lost and regained with a few extra pounds for good measure! Last year I decided to find the solution to this problem.
I saw others who had a life of great health and vitality so I knew it could be possible for me. I set a new goal for myself. I would'nt try to lose weight instead I'll train to run a 5km race in the spring and summer. I was energized by this new goal as I was able to see an end. I promised myself that once I ran these races I would stop training. Guess what happened? I subsequently lost 25 lbs without even dieting! I went from a size 12 to an 8 and for the first time in years (since my twenties) I am able to show my bare arms in public! What made the difference?....I changed how I perceived the challenge by changing the goal.
Persistence was much easier once the goal was more compelling! By the way I haven't run the races yet, but I still continue to train as exercise has become a habit. I received the end I ultimately wanted!
In order to make room for new goals, we have to delete or complete old ones. And sometimes new goals are so compelling and inspiring that there’s no time to complete old ones — they have to be abandoned half-finished. I’ve always found it uncomfortable to do this, but I know it’s necessary. The hard part is consciously deciding to delete an old project, knowing it will never be finished.
The value of persistence comes not from stubbornly clinging to the past. It comes from a vision of the future that’s so compelling you would give almost anything to make it real. Persistence of action comes from persistence of vision. When you’re super-clear about what you want in such a way that your vision doesn’t change much, you’ll be consistent in your actions. And that consistency of action will produce consistency of results. Can you identify a part of your life where you’ve demonstrated a pattern of long-term persistence? I think if you can identify such an area, it may provide a clue to your mission — something you can work towards where passion and self-discipline function synergistically.
Tomorrow: Moving From De-motivation to Motivation!
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