Lets begin with what persistence is. The basis of persistence is the power of will. It means that you continue to take action towards achieving your dreams when faced with obstacles, setbacks, failures, and discouragements. A quitter never wins, and a winner never quits.
Here is a great example of persistence. When I was in prison I went to the hole for 2 months. The hole is the prison inside of prison. A couple days after being placed in the hole, I received information that my sister had passed away from a heroine overdose. I was allowed a 30 second phone call to my mother, who was crying her eyes out, and I felt big enough to sit on a penny and swing my feet from it.
Now the hole is already a depressing place, even more so dealing with the loss of a loved one. You are in a 8x10 cell, you can take 3 steps one way then turn around and take 3 steps the other and thats about it. You get 3 small meals a day delivered through the chuckhole in your cell door, and you have very little human interaction.
I needed to regain my happiness and sanity. I needed to persist to find a peace of mind.
I started with the little I had and got to work. We were allowed 3 showers a week and were given 2 bathing towels. I took one bathing towel and ripped it up into a bunch of rags, and everyday after lunch I would clean my cell. I would use one rag and scrub my walls with it. I would take another rag and scrub my sink with it. After that I would use another rag to scrub my toilet. Then I would get down on my hands and knees and sweep the concrete floor with my bare hands. after gathering all the dirt and dust into a pile i would use a damp wad of toilet paper to pick up the dirt and flush it down my toilet. Finally, I would wring out soap from my rag onto the floor and then scrub my floor. afterwards I felt good because I was living in a clean environment.
After cleaning, I would do some physical activity. I would do pushups, dips off the end of my bunk, squats, burpees, and anything I could do involving calisthenics. Afterwards I would feel good because I was releasing natural endorphins in my body and I was in good physical shape.
About a week before I was released from the hole I had found my peace of mind that I was looking for. I was successful all because I chose to persist after being faced with setbacks and discouragement.
Now if persistence is a key ingredient in the attainment of dreams then why do so many people choose not to persist? Because it's hard. Guess what? Life is hard! You can pay now so you can play later, or you can play now and you're going to pay later.
Just think about it. What's your number one dream that you want to accomplish in life? It's going to be hard to make that a reality, isn't it? Yes. At the same time, flipping burgers at a fast food joint would be hard too, wouldn't it? Absolutely. Les Brown says "If you do what is easy, your life will be hard. But if you do what is hard, your life will be easy."
Can you see how persistence can afford you a better life? Are you interested in a better life? When do you think is the best time to start living a better life?
4 STEPS TO DEVELOP PERSISTENCE
- Have a definite purpose backed by a burning desire. That means you know exactly where you are going and you are obsessed with the attainment of your purpose.
- Have definite plans backed by continuous action. Lay out all the groundwork and necessary steps you must take and follow them up with massive, daily action.
- Have a strong mind against all negative influence. This includes family, friends, and acquaintances.
- Surround yourself with winners. Get around people that are going all in on their dreams and that have a strong will.
Persistence makes dreams come true, it's continuing to take action when faced with setbacks and discouragements, yes it is hard and you better believe it's worth it, and now you have 4 simple step to develop persistence. The only question is, are you going to do it?
