What role does perseverance play in achieving long-term success?

Perseverance is a key, perhaps the key to long-term success.

Those who persevere will achieve more in any sphere (area) of life, than those who don’t.

Firstly, they are keen on using their talents, putting their abilities to work, or pursuing their interests.

So they are likely to start using their talents, abilities, and interests, early in life.

Initially, it may be in a non-professional, hobby setting.

At this stage, they do the activity, for the sheer joy of being able to do it.

Creation is involved.

And they enjoy seeing the results of their creations, as well as experimenting with new ideas.

This is a soft beginning.

A little later, their talents and creations will be discovered, or they will themselves spot an opportunity, to pursue their interests further, either through getting a job, or through a business idea.

This is when their plans and ideas solidify.

At this stage, many people’s ambitions come to rest.

But the persevering person never rests.

They could be happy with the fact, that they are earning money from something they like to do, and are good at doing, and they are gaining knowledge and experience, while practicing what they are good at.

But for the persevering person, that’s not enough.

Their goal is to become better at what they do, to create and do more, to establish a name for themselves, to use their talents, abilities, and experience, beyond what is required just to support themselves.

They are in it to find out how far they can take their talents and skills.

They are in it, not just for the immediate future, but for the future they cannot see.

The long haul.

Regardless of challenges, rejections, disappointments, slow times, and competitive blows, they plan to keep the momentum going.

Not resting in high moments, or grieving in low moments.

When thrown to the mat, instead of thinking, “it’s all over for me”, they pick themselves up, and keep going.

The persevering person may be a short-run pessimist, but they are always a long-term optimist.

They never fail to hope for better times.

It helps them persist.

It helps them expand the number of things they can do, as well as expand the variety of things, they can do.

They are also able to branch out, and extend.

While the non-persevering person, jumps from tree to different tree, allowing too little time to achieve significant success in any area, the persevering person hones and refines what they do, smartly extending what they do, when the opportunity arises.

They don’t make the deadly mistake of losing focus, losing interest, losing traction in the area which they have dedicated their lives to.

Over time, this makes the core of their knowledge, skills, and insights, strong.

It also makes them agile.

Quick thinkers and quick doers.

Persevering people are success attractors.

Over time, they achieve remarkable success.

Looking at their success, the non-persevering person may say, “how lucky they are - they got into the right field, everything clicked for them."

They assume the persevering person’s success was due to advantages, resources, support, and connections.

But it’s neither a true assumption, nor a fair assumption.

The persevering person’s success may have nothing to do with being handed a golden key at birth, or being lucky with resources, connections, and the support to succeed.

It may be entirely self-made.

In fact, the persevering person’s success is significantly due to their persistence and perseverance.

They never gave up.

They kept going.

They were willing to try, and try again.

They stretched themselves to meet new opportunities, not letting complacency make them become non-competitive.

Long after others stopped, or hopped onto a different tree, the persevering person kept at what they were doing, kept the momentum going.

It’s how they got to where they are today.

And it describes the long-term success of most of the successful people I know.

If you ask any of these successful people the question, “what role does perseverance have to play in the success you’ve achieved, and continue to achieve?”, this is the answer you can expect from them….

“EVERYTHING!”