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5 Tips to Practising Persistence for Success
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!
