Persistence Pays Off

No great achievement is possible without persistent work.

~ Bertrand Russell

What does persistence mean to you?  The greatest leaders, inventors, scientists, authors, artists, composers and athletes in history were great because they were persistent in their actions and their goals.  They didn’t give up, no matter what others said, or how many failures they had prior to their success.

If Thomas Edison gave up after his first try at the light bulb, credit would have been given to his British counterparts, Frederick de Moleyns and Joseph Wilson Swan who had patents for an incandescent lamp and light bulb respectively.  Edison was persistent and didn’t let his initial failure get in the way of his
success.  In all actuality, his initial attempts were not failures – they were trials that he perfected over time, allowing him credit for the invention of the light bulb.  His persistence paid off.

Many people give up their goals because they have encountered stumbling blocks, obstacles, challenges or failures.  If they had been persistent and moved forward, they may have succeeded in their goals.  They probably would have succeed if they had just pressed on.

One of the challenges people often face, that gets in the way of their persistence, is fear.  Fear (often referred to as False Evidence Appearing Real) creates that self-doubt and negative self-talk that can prevent us from moving forward.  It is self-destructive and serves no purpose.

Think about a time when you were fearful about something and that fear prevented you from moving forward.  If you could have removed all fear, what may have been the outcome?  Would you have achieved a goal?  Would you have succeeded?

My challenge to you is to write down your biggest fears of working toward your goal.  Now, what is the worst thing that could happen as you work toward your goal?  What is the best thing could happen as you work toward your goal?  If the worst thing should happen, what would you do next?  Remember these two quotes:

When life knocks you down you have two choices- stay down or get up.

~ Tom Krause

and

The most essential factor is persistence – the determination never to allow your energy or enthusiasm to be dampened by the discouragement that must inevitably come.

~ James Whitcomb Riley

To Your Success!

Kay L. Fontana
“The Grandcoach”