The Definition of Perseverance: What Helps You Keep on Going?My definition of perseverance is sustained effort toward a specific goal maintained through faith, courage, willpower and patience. The following perseverance quotations will help me to explain this further. Calvin Coolidge Urges Us to “Press On!” First, let’s see what politician Calvin Coolidge has to say about perseverance, also known as persistence. He certainly persevered in his career, eventually serving two terms as president of the United States. So he ought to know something about it: :-) Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; Nothing is more common than unsuccessful people 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. Coolidge expresses clearly the first element of perserverance: sustained effort. Napoleon Hill’s Definition of Perseverance Both author Napoleon Hill and musician Howard Jones express clearly the importance of faith and courage in maintaining our perseverance. According to Hill, the definition of perseverance is “the sustained effort necessary to induce faith.” Hill continues, The majority of people are ready to throw their aims and purposes overboard, and give up at the first sign of opposition or misfortune. A few carry on despite all opposition until they attain their goal. Howard Jones Asks Us to Have Courage Musician Howard Jones explains in another of my quotes on perseverance that we develop perseverance through something very similar to faith - courage He clarifies here in lyrics to his song, “Things Can Only Get Better” that courage is not the absence of fear but the perseverance to keep moving forward towards our goals despite our feelings of fear: Future dreams we have to realize! And do you feel scared? - I do! A lonely path, an uphill climb In other words, keep going! Willpower and Patience: The Teachings of Wallace Wattles New thought author Wallace Wattles suggests in the following perseverance quotations that we need to continue to take positive action to make things happen the way we want them to in our careers: You do not need to use your will upon others or upon anything outside yourself ... you need only to use your willpower upon yourself. The answer to your prayer is not according to your faith when you are talking, but according to your faith while you are working... You need to ‘pray without ceasing’… Wattles also explains that perseverance is not related in any way to hurrying – quite the opposite, in fact. Hurrying is the opposite of faith and actually expresses a powerlessness, a lack of confidence and a crippling fear of failure. Wattles states, You never need to act hastily. There is never any hurry on the creative plane. And there is no lack of opportunity... When you are in doubt, wait... there is plenty of time. Mistakes come from acting hastily or from acting in fear or doubt or in forgetfulness of the right motive – which is more life to all and less to none. Whenever you find yourself hurrying, stop... Remember that in the moment you begin to hurry you cease to be a creator and become a competitor. You drop back into the old plane again... Go as fast as you can, but never hurry. Things take time! For a plant, a seed takes time to become a sprout and then to flower. The gardener can nurture it, but not force it to happen. Similarly with our job search and career, it takes time for us to create something new or start a whole new life project - often more time than we expect or hope. But succeed we will so long as we keep in mind this definition of perseverance: Perseverance is sustained effort toward a specific goal maintained through faith, courage, willpower and patience.
|
