Perseverance… Giving Up is Not an Option
The greatest oak was once a nut that held its ground.
anonymous
To succeed in life we require perseverance. In fact we began life with perseverance without even knowing it… Remember when you were just a young toddler… when you began to walk… Despite the number of falls and unfortunate landings… you persevered, which is why you can walk today.
In order to learn anything new in life we need to persevere. Whether it be to talk, walk, cook, ride a bike, climb a mountain, drive a car, whatever it is… we can rarely get it right on the first day. I remember in Vancouver, in my early baking days, I baked several cakes before feeling confident that they would taste just right.
So what is perseverance? Perseverance means to push through even when the going gets tough. It means continued efforts despite the obstacles and challenges, to keep experimenting with new approaches to those challenges. Synonyms for perseverance are words like resolute, firm, determined, spunk, moxie, staying power, endurance… and more!
“I have tried 99 times and have failed, but on the 100th time came success.”
Albert Einstein
How is perseverance different from stubbornness? Well, perseverance is very different. Stubbornness is infused with ego… perseverance is permeated with humility and modesty, because we are willing to learn and grow. In stubbornness we are simply trying to prove a point. In ego there is no real interest to discover how to evolve through learning from others and situations. Well, from the ego’s perspective… why bother? Because the ego thinks it knows everything anyway! Hence whatever the seed is… so will be the fruit. In humility, an open minded soul knows that there is much they do not know, and that openness to learning will enable us to grow. Someone with a closed mind, with ego, such a person will think that they are already perfect!
Why should we persevere? It is because we strive for perfection, and whatever it is we are trying to achieve, that obviously gives us a purpose. Why do we do what we do? What motivates us in life? What are the benefits for us? Simply because the results brings us joy, some profit, some reward, some satisfaction and this will often come from learning and growth.
There are many examples of people who persevered and succeeded, because they could had a vision. J K Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series, at the time of writing her book, Joanne was a single mother, unemployed and down on her luck. She would write the Harry Potter series on the red buses in Britain, whilst on the trains and even in the local café. Even when the first novel was rejected several times, but still she persevered. Wow! We can all see the fruit that came from that one humble seed, from perseverance and J K Rowling’s personal faith in her book.
“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is to try just one more time.”
Thomas Edison
Thomas Edison persevered repeatedly with his lightbulb! He said with each failure came new learning, it was a step towards making his lightbulb better next time, until he made the perfect lightbulb! Henry Ford persevered… as did Muhamad Ali and Walt Disney, and the list goes on. We can see that effort focused in the right way in the right place will bring a reward. The famous Indian actors Shah Rukh Khan struggled intensely in the beginning of his career. Amitabh Bachan was refused a job on radio because they felt his voice was too rough and horsey.
Recently, in February 2022, we lost the gracious and elegant Shrimati Lata Mangeshkarji. Lataji started singing at age 13 after her father passed away, because she was the oldest and she had to make a living for the rest of her family. Lataji entertained the world for seven decades winning several awards including the prestigious Bharat Ratna award. She persevered not only because she had to, but as a result of her great willpower and talent. The talent that was just waiting to be revealed to the world. She was not from royalty or a politician etc. but the flag is hanging half-mast for her in Delhi.
We persevere intensely for something when we make it a priority in our life. For example, we save up for a vacation, a hobby, or we may aim to exercise to become fit or slim. So for this there has to be a consistent effort. Things don’t happen overnight. We don’t become wealthy because we dream of becoming a millionaire. We don’t just lose weight because we had the thought… even if sometimes we may wish that was so! Small steps, steady steps help us to achieve our aim.
It is when obstacles come that we need to show more vigour and oomph. Let us say that obstacles come to test us, to see if we really want the thing we are running after. So it’s just a test. We have to acknowledge it as such and pass the test with honours.
Dr Angela Lee Duckworth, is a psychologist, author and an American academic and researcher. Angela’s field of interest is looking at ‘grit’ and the strength of character of people, and seeing how we can develop more perseverance. When we believe our efforts matter, then we will naturally have more interest, practice, purpose and hope in life.
So now visualize what it is you want to pursue in life… give it power by breathing life into that vision. Now get in touch with your intrinsic values and give light and energy to them so they can be ignited. We need an open mind, not a mind that is stuck and closed.
Any artist, musician, dancer, or athlete finds success through their continual effort and perseverance. The martial art expertise displayed so effortlessly by Bruce Lee, recorded forever in his famous films, that art was simply the result of perseverance. He knew that a focused mind, daily training and discipline would bring him results.
“Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive,
but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way around or through it.
If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves.
Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water.
If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup.
You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle.
You put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot.
Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.”
Bruce Lee
The wise soul will not just make effort, but they will also find new ways to develop. Sometimes, we have to make a detour on our journey, to find another way, as we move towards our destination and that’s OK.
It’s Time… to persevere in life, and be wise enough to know when to change direction if necessary. But giving up is not an option.