Each of us thrives on being successful and in doing so we often forget the difficulties lying in the path to success. We set targets and want to achieve them right away, but we are humans and may fall short on those goals. Failure at the start can lead to frustration, and it shatters the self-confidence you had at the beginning. You might consider giving up on your dreams because you don’t feel like you can ever succeed in life.

Success, despite the popular belief, isn’t a one-way path or a straight line. It is a muddled road with various ups and downs, and you should navigate it with popular care. You might fall or get lost in your way. But if you keep going, you will eventually reach your destination.

Have you ever wondered how some prominent personalities achieved great heights of success? What did those individuals do that set them apart from the rest of us? How did they stay positive, when faced with failure?  Undoubtedly, they must have some secret ingredient that helped them throughout their journey. How can we get our hands on that special ingredient?

Let’s ask a couple of successful people

Everyone knows the great Muhammad Ali, and when asked if he liked his training he replied: “I hated every minute of training, but I said to myself, ‘Don’t quit, suffer now, and live the rest of your life as a champion.’”

He ended up preparing for his fights, by pushing himself to the limit, he refused to quit when things got hard for him, and that made him the champion he is known today.

The author of Harry Potter series, J. K. Rowling, is another example of success. The manuscript of the first book was rejected by 12 publishers before Bloomsbury took it. Here’s what she has to say about her failure; “Failure meant a stripping away of the inessential. I stopped pretending to myself that I was anything other than what I was, and began to direct all my energy into finishing the only work that mattered to me. Had I really succeeded at anything else, I might never have found the determination to succeed in the one arena I believed I truly belonged.”

It seems to me that, they kept on going, remained persistent, and their perseverance helped them reach the peak of the mountain.

“When the world says, “Give up,” Hope whispers, “Try it one more time.”

What is Perseverance?

Perseverance: Steadfastness in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success. Perseverance is an essential element when you need to achieve a high level of success. It is a great tool to use, and it doesn’t require any college education or training. It comes naturally and requires a strong will.    

It doesn’t matter what your goal is or how long it takes you to reach that goal. The chances of your success depend largely on your willingness to persist and persevere. Because perseverance breeds success and without it, you can’t possibly reach the sky.

Perseverance means, to go on no matter what is in the way, to remain steadfast in accomplishing the difficult task. It requires a higher level of patience to develop perseverance in you.

Perseverance has more benefits than to help you master the skill of patience. Here are some of the perks of perseverance.

Trustworthiness:  Someone who practices perseverance is more trustworthy than the rest, people know you are not going to quit, no matter how hard the situation gets. You will hold your ground.

Gives you self-confidence:  It increases your sense of self-worth and confidence. You start taking full ownership of the goals you have set to achieve. You become a firm believer that your destiny is in your hands. You perceive to control your own fate.

“I am not judged by the number of times I fail, but by the number of times I succeed: and the number of times I succeed is in direct proportion to the number of times I fail and keep trying.” – Tom Hopkins

Heightens your Motivation

Perseverance essentially means you’re committed to your goal. But it enhances its value for you and intensifies your motivation level. It leads you to wonderful findings, and broadens your knowledge, about yourself and your goals.

It is a well-established fact by now, that success is not achieved overnight. There is no such thing as get-rich-fast successes in the world. The road to success is a slow and quite precarious journey at times. It takes hard work and time to build up and makes you solely responsible for your progress.

In short, it’s perseverance that’s the key to a successful life. If you keep persevering long enough, you will achieve your true potential. Just remember, you can do anything you set your mind to, but it takes action, persistence, and the courage to face your fears.

How has being perseverant helped you succeed in life? Let us know by sharing your story below!

Image courtesy of Twenty20.com

Source: Success