Isn’t it special to be around happy, successful people? Authentic folks who have challenges, too? They also have goals in their life – for happiness and success – in most all they do. They’ve found the attitude of persistence. They keep moving forward in the face of adversity. Sure, they get disappointed, but they never get discouraged – that is persistence.
This is an attitude that more of us should embrace. Sir Winston Churchill once said, “Never give in, never, never, never – in nothing small, large or petty – never give in except to conviction of honor and good sense.” The quote came during World War II when Churchill’s country needed him the most.
If you have habits you know are not good for you, break them. You may have to persist to achieve a change. If you know that you need to exercise regularly, eat healthier, drink more water, be more positive or complete a task, then persist until you do.
Calvin Coolidge, the 30th president of the U.S., had a unique take on tenacity. “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.”
Persistence is often the difference between a successful or failed outcome. It’s not a question of whether you will get knocked down; it’s whether you can get back up. Persistent people will.
Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, in his book published in 1952 “The Power of Positive Thinking,” mentions how he learned during his boyhood a lesson that framed his life as a minister for 53 years in New York City. Upon hearing of the 95-year-old Peale’s death in 1993, President Bill Clinton said, “The name of Dr. Norman Vincent Peale will forever be associated with the American values of optimism and service.”
When Dr. Peale was in the fifth grade, his teacher, George Reeves, would write the word “CAN’T” each day on the blackboard. Reeves would then turn to the class and ask, ‘Now what do I do?’ In unison, they would say, ‘Erase the apostrophe and the ‘T.’ The teacher would and then he’d say, ‘Always remember you CAN if you think you CAN.’”
In his wonderful poem “Don’t Quit,” Edgar Albert Guest includes this encouragement to forge ahead, especially when the going gets tough: “When things go wrong, as they sometimes will, when the road you’re trudging seems all uphill, when the funds are low and debts are high, and you want to smile but you have to sigh, when care is pressing you down a bit – rest if you must, but don’t you quit. Success is failure turned inside out – the silver tint of the clouds of doubt, and when you never can tell how close you are, it may be near when it seems afar; so stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit – it’s when things seem worst, you must not quit.”
Something to think about as you press on …
Originally published in POV Magazine
