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5 Tips to Practising Persistence for Success

by Evelyn on September 13, 2011

There is a Buddhist saying that underscores the importance of persistence, “In the confrontation between the stream and the rock, the stream always wins – not through strength, but through persistence.” I like that it draws on nature to explain a fundamental idea on success.



(From my art journal: On practicing persistence)

Notwithstanding, if you have been reading personal development books, you will realize that persistence is an important key to a winning mindset. Repeatedly, you have been advised to follow up on your dream until you have attained success.


So you have been working on your dream for some time. However, somehow success is not in sight yet. Beginning to lose faith, you feel as if you are losing steam. It is not as if you have not summoned the courage to start on a new adventure. You have. Problem is that you have not anticipated the number of challenges that came along. It appears to be taking a long time. And now, you are tempted to give up.

The above scenario is a very common one. Many of us usually start with plenty of enthusiasm. In a rush of energy, we believe that we can conquer the world. However, as the everyday grind of working on our dream sets in, we find the ice-cream soda starting to lose its fizz, the ball its bounce and the perfume its fragrance. It can get weary sometimes. I can safely attest to that. Long hours at the laptop and at times, having to give up on social outings.

You already know that success does not always belong to the most intelligent, the most educated or the one with the most money. In fact, it belongs to those who come up tops in persistence. They show the most tenacity, strength and resilience. Persistence is dogged-determination. It is power. Persistence is the will to succeed, come what may. It is what separates the minority who eventually do succeed from the 90% majority who give up their dreams prematurely.

Three Feet from the Gold Ore
One of my favorite stories comes from Think and Grow Rich By Napolean Hill. In the story, a man was caught by the “gold rush” idea and went west to dig. After weeks of labor, he was rewarded by the discovery of the shining ore. However he needed machinery to bring the ore to the surface. So together with some friends and relatives, he raised enough money to buy the machinery.

The first car of ore brought the group some money. But he needed a few more cars of ore in order to clear his debts and to make a killing in profits. So they continued drilling. But to their dismay, they could not find any more ore. Finally, after trying very hard, they decided to quit. They sold the machinery to a junk man for a few hundred dollars.

The junk man called in a mining engineer to do a review. The engineer’s calculations showed that the vein of ore could be found just three feet from where the group had stopped drilling. And that was exactly where it was found! The junk man became a millionaire overnight, because he did not give up and was wise enough to seek expert counsel.

5 Tips to Practice Persistence
1. Be inspired by role models. Get inspired by reading stories of people who have succeeded at all odds. Anytime when you feel like giving up, pick up a book on success principles from the bookstore or the library. Don’t stop reading.

2. Get a supportive group of friends. Having a group of friends who are also working on their dreams can be helpful. You can encourage each other, exchange ideas, brainstorm and share resources.

3. Get a mentor. If you already know of someone who can be a good mentor, do not be afraid to ask. Choose someone with a proven track record and who is willing to share and listen.

If you have to, hire a coach to pace you while you are working on your dream. Hiring the right coach is money well spent. Work with your motivational coach to identify your obstacles and find creative ways round them.

4. Practice visioning. Visioning is keeping your mind focused on the desired dream or future. It is not a weekend exercise but one that you should constantly practice everyday. You keep yourself reminded in various ways: visualization, vision board, using positive affirmations, subliminal messaging and so on.


5. Connect with a higher purpose. You are likely to have greater perseverance if your vision is one that serves and elevates humanity. Because it is a worthy cause, your dream becomes a meaningful one. Thus, you are likely to discover that instead of feeling lethargic, you feel energized and ready to go at the start of each day. A vision that is connected with a higher purpose garners universal support. You will be amazed with the level of help that you receive.

What It Says on my Creative Art Journal
One of the pages on my art journal that I have done is a reminder about practicing persistence. On it, I have written three of my favorite sayings. They are…

“70% of success in life is showing up”.

“Before you give up, ask yourself: can you already be three feet from the gold from where you are?”
“Energy is the essence of life. Everyday, you decide how you’re going to use it by knowing what you want and what it takes to reach the goal, and by maintaining focus.” – Oprah Winfrey

Be The Stream
Drawing on what Buddha has said, be like the stream. The stream always flows, never stopping until it wins over the rock.

There is only one thing that can happen when you follow up on your dream. Your mindset is a positive one. Your determination to succeed is strong. You simply refuse to quit. Every day, you put your mind to doing what is needed for your dream; no matter how repetitive, routine and mundane the task appears to be. Persistence pays!