Perseverance

Reading time: 6 minutes

Perseverance means that we continue even when things are difficult.

Difficulty is relative; we all struggle in different ways. So, the picture of perseverance depends on who we are.

 For example, academics comes easy to some – maybe you coasted through school with top grades and little effort. Alternatively, maybe the physical side of life is your game; perhaps you can run marathons, climb mountains or dominate a football match without thinking twice. In all areas of life however, you will eventually come up against things that you find difficult.

Here are some basic points which might help you on your journey.

1)   Get to know yourself. It may be that you need to seriously reflect on who you are, your strengths and weaknesses. What are some areas of life that you have struggled with? What do you consistently find difficult? Where do you keep giving up?

Reflection can help build perseverance

2)   Commit. For you to develop a stronger mindset and approach, you have to commit yourself. For example, if I am aiming to build perseverance in my marriage, I have to commit to this process wholeheartedly, otherwise I will not value nor see the need to develop perseverance. We are able to commit once we have come to know ourselves better, and once we recognize what is important to our lives.

3)   See the bigger picture. Much of our culture is built on instant results. This ‘microwave’ mindset does not foster perseverance, because it causes people to turn away at the first sign of difficulty. Perseverance takes time. You have to recognise that things may be slow at first. Take a step outside of our culture and consider that life is not all about comfort and success. If we are to develop, we must recognise trials as a natural part of life and our progression.

4)   Have a purpose. Have a reason. You need a firm foundation upon which to build your perseverance. For example, if you are striving to become a better musician, your conviction must come from somewhere. Are you seeking to improve so that you can impact people? Is it because you have a deep passion for playing or writing songs? If you have superficial and whimsical goals such as ‘becoming rich’ or ‘having something to do’, you may find it difficult to keep going.

Building perseverance need not be a downbeat process. The struggle should be recognised as essential to human life; something that humans have grappled with since hunter-gatherer times. For you to develop fortitude and reach plateaus that seemed out of your grasp, you have to rise above and master the prevailing tides of culture that would dissuade you at any hurdle.

This is what it takes to persevere. This is how2behuman.