Persistence is the Key

We've all been in those situations when everything just seems to be going against us, and the thoughts of 'why me' come forward and plague our minds. We look at other people around us and see things going alright for them, and we wonder 'why'?

I'm sure you've started a certain activity in your past, only to quit soon after because you've decided that it was too tough for you. Then self-doubt comes into place, and you start to lose confidence in yourself. This is where things like depression, bitterness, jealousy, complacency, can overcome us if we're not careful.  

Just be Persistent

I know that this is very easy to say, but carrying it out can be really tedious, boring, and self-demoralising when all you see are failed attempts.

You may be saying now, well I've attempted something 345 times and failed on every single one, how can I stay persistent when what I'm doing is a failure? Well while it may be true you've failed 345 times, but if you was to somehow know that only another 10 times and you would see success, would you consider giving up?

There isn't a set number of tries you have to complete before you see success, it's just the principle I'm wanting to make clear.

Did you know that it took Thomas Edison 999 tries on inventing the lamp before, on his 1000th try he finally see the result he wanted. His mindset for dealing with his failed attempts was not to say that he was incapable of doing it, but instead to say: 'I haven't failed, I've just found another incorrect way to invent a lamp'.

Henry Ford lost his fortune 6 times, but still had the persistence to build it back up.

You're Not the Exception

Those two examples of persistent people are no exceptions to the rule of persistence. You too can achieve a desired result if you're willing to have the patience and commitment to continue no matter what the results.

If everyone was to have the mentality of quitting every time something became too much of a challenge, then the human race wouldn't have progressed very far technologically at all.

It's amazing what effect your mentality can make to a situation. Negative thoughts bring you down and cause you to give up, but positive and determined thoughts have the opposite effect.

Driving is a difficult task, even more if you're using a manual, even though we don't consider driving to be that difficult at all, in fact the majority of us find it quite simple and easy.

We perceive it as something that is definitely within our grasp, as we look around and see so many other people managing it fine. This then creates the mentality that you will see success in this particular field.

When you stop to think about it however, driving requires you to do a lot more than you may first realise: you have to move all four limbs (arms and legs) in different directions; concentrate on speed; perceive distances; observe what is taking place inside and outside the car, etc.

Go For it

In conclusion, persistence as you can see makes a huge difference and isn't a waste of time. You're the main person with the power to hold yourself back.

Don't look at something and say 'I can't do it', instead say to yourself 'whilst I can't do it yet, I know eventually that I will'.

I'm going to quickly add a verse from the Bible (although I know that not all of you reading this are Christians): “Though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again.” Proverbs 24:16 - I feel this is a good application for our lives nevertheless.