“Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” ― Thomas A. Edison
On a personal note, I’m playing crummy tennis these days. And by crummy tennis, I mean really crummy tennis. In fact, I am 0-5 in our neighborhood Men’s Singles Tennis League—the exact same league I won last fall! In fact, not long ago, I was actually losing so badly to a fellow competitor I was tempted to quit. But then, I remembered that my 6-year old daughter is struggling to learn how to tell time in school… and I decided that I had to persevere.
You see, my kids are important to me. As a result, I work hard and intentionally to help them develop important life skills. By important life skills, I don’t just mean reading, writing, and arithmetic, I also mean kindness, humility, responsibility, discipline, and perseverance. And perseverance is one we’ve been working on for quite some time.
My daughter has a tendency to get frustrated when she doesn’t get something right the first time. This is, of course, not unusual. But when the frustration too quickly escalates to resignation, I often step in and encourage her to persevere.
I understand that life can be very difficult at times. I realize many of the most important concepts she will learn in school and life will take time and effort. I have come to understand that nobody gets life right the first time. And in those moments, perseverance is an essential life discipline to draw upon. We will never reach our full potential until we learn to push through the frustration… no matter how difficult our circumstances may be.
Of course, the very nature of perseverance requires that we face trials in life. We can not learn perseverance without experiencing difficulty. This often makes it a painful skill to learn. But also, one of the most rewarding.
People who become the most in life have learned the skill of perseverance. They are the ones who refuse to give in regardless of the score… or the current trial they are facing.
My dear friend, today, persevere.
Image: matthewthecoolguy
Doreen Ruggiero says
You asked: where does perseverance stops and where does acceptance of one’s limits and/or priorities begin?
Excellent question; my opinion/answer.
I am not convinced that limitations has any impact on drive/perseverance; I believe that it takes drive/desire/perseverance to ignore limitations and that certain limitations can be overcome/won over via exercising perseverance . As for priorities, I feel that there is a connection to perseverance,as it depends if a solution to a problem or an answer to a question is important to you and will impact your situation/life enough for you to make the pursuit of answers/solutions/resolutions a priority is an individual choice on each individual situation. Some things are worth pursuing and maybe some you rather ignore. Acceptance and change is an individual decision/choice. As each situation presents itself, you will realize that your answer depends on the attitude and perspective of each person per situation, and is not based on limitations, but on the willingness and desire to change what you can. Acceptance of limitations is applicable when the importance of how much impact that limitation has in our lives; it is a choice to either accept or change & praying to God to help with the answer is always a wise choice. Write down pro and cons & how your limitations (one by one) affect your life, then ask yourself if it is worth your effort and time to change or that particular limitation is so trivial that you rather accept it; not one can make the choice of which things to have persistence and perseverance in achieving except you. I wish you wisdom in all your decisions throughout life. Note: self-improvement is a life time journey; there is always something to improve on within ourselves. Procrastination is an enemy to many; avoid it often.
Kathy Ericksen says
Thanks for sharing this. I know of several very hard situations going on and this word spoke into it with grace. On a more personal note I’ve been hitting a wall in doing art lately and this was a good word to try again. Thanks seems too small. Grateful.
Lynne says
I am dealing with some personal issues right now, In spite of them I am still fighting. If I do not reach the goal that I planned then I will be able to say I tried. BUT I have no plans on failing.
anniep says
I can remember as a girl I had problems learning how to tell time also. I got so good at hiding it and asking folks , “is it 7 o’clock yet?” that no one suspected for a long while. My father figured it out and sent me to my room to make a paper clock with moveable hands and he sat with me that day and quizzed me until the light bulb finally came on. I learned that day that there is no shame in saying you don’t understand and asking for help. I also learned that my Dad is my hero, even though I’m an older adult and he is 81. :-)
Caddy says
Hehe! Preserve energy to persevere?! ; )
Don Conrad says
I’ve had a similar experience. After taking 15 years to finish my undergrad part time while working full time and taking 10 years off while my kids were little, I went back to get my Masters. I didn’t really need it – I’ve been in my field for 30 years – but it’s something I’d always wanted to do. Well doing a masters program, working full time and having a family is tough. I can’t tell you how many times I wanted to quit. The thing that kept me going is not wanting my kids to see me quit. Now – 2 months from graduation – I can say it was worth it and (hopefully) a lesson learned by my children that perseverance is a good trait to have.
Kathleen Dunagan says
Perseverance was not a choice for me. At the age of 16 I was diagnosed with a brain tumor and had to fight to make it through surgery, fight to live, then fight to learn how to walk and do everything again after two strokes left me paralyzed on my left side. For the last 27 years, I’ve had to persevere through more than any individual should have to in one lifetime. I’m grateful perseverance was instilled in me during the first 16 years of my life, because without this fight in me, I’d be dead. Without that internal drive I’d be a mess. Thank you for a great article.
Don Conrad says
Truly inspiring. Congratulations and thank you for being a role model.
Melinda Gonzalez says
Ahhh the one thing I am honestly good at. Persistence can you take you far in life. Abraham Lincoln lost hundreds of different elections, and had some of the worst life tragedies I have ever heard of, but he was eventually elected president of the USA.
I know losing sucks, but the worst days for our egos are the best days for our souls. So keep on swinging that racket, or bat, or whatever.
Mike @ Uncommonly Brilliant says
I do appliance repair. Through the years I’ve always have found it interesting customers calling me halfway through their do it yourself jobs.
If they had only been able to figure out that one hump they got stuck on, the rest of the job would have been smooth sailing.
The Maui Taoist says
“Without temptation…there is no claim to virtue”
Yes… perseverance is our chance to prove our worth.