Persistence Breeds Success

If you want to better your life and attain your goals, then you need to strengthen your power of persistence. I believe everyone has a persistent streak inside of them. The problem is that this streak is not as powerful as you had hoped for. If you find that your persistence diminishes fairly quickly, there is hope for you!

It is so easy to talk about wanting success and to lead a better lifestyle. It’s simple to complain about all the things that you don’t have in your life. Instead of complaining, why not put your energy and effort into actually getting all of those things you so desire?

The first step in improving your persistence is to actually start thinking with a positive mindset. I'm not encouraging you to pretend that everything is all peachy keen; I want you to be realistic, and I want you to know that if you are realistic in your evaluation, then you can think with a positive mindset.

Whenever you start to think in a negative manner or start to say the words ‘I can’t do that’, stop and think for a moment. What exactly is it that you can’t do? Or is it merely that you don’t want to do the task?

Many times it is the latter that is the real reason. When you find yourself thinking in this way, ask yourself why. I like Mel Robbins's technique she calls the 5 Second Rule in her book of the same name. The process is pretty simple: when you have a task to do, before you can think and come up with the excuses not to do it, you simply count backwards: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1,GO! You push yourself to begin, and often, just beginning is all you need to get the task done. Be honest, is the task at hand really too hard or are you tired and just have had enough of it?

When you can overcome this way of thinking, you will be more than halfway to becoming a persistent person. While it is fine to take a break from a task, you should never totally give up. Sometimes taking a break is all that is needed. Once you have had the time to re-energize, you are ready to tackle the job again.

A persistent person is someone who doesn’t give up, and when the going gets tough, they look for ways to handle the situation. I've learned through personal experience the importance of being persistent, of not giving up. For example, as a kid, I was out on my own while I was still a high school student. So many people, including my parents, forecast that I wouldn't finish high school or amount to much. I was determined to not only finish high school, but to go on to college to accomplish more goals. Matter of fact, I find that education is so important that I continue to pursue learning and encourage others to do so as well.

Not only do I believe in being persistent, I also think as you complete any task or accomplish a goal, you will feel proud of yourself and you should celebrate your accomplishment. This boost in your self-confidence will help make you a more successful person, and you can use this feeling to propel you into action when you come up against another task.

Success breeds success. For this reason you want to set small goals or break down larger projects into smaller segments. This way each portion is attainable and will help keep you motivated. This applies to many different types of situations including learning a new skill, working on a repair at home, or dealing with an unexpected event.

I often ask students, "How do you eat an elephant?"...one bite at a time, and "How do you climb to the top of a mountain?"...one step at a time.

The next time you feel like giving up, don’t. Instead think of the way you will feel when the task is completed, try Mel's 5 Second Rule, or find an accountability partner to encourage you into taking action.  Then shoot for the moon and persist until the job is completed.

Are you persistent? Share your story in the comments on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/ahousewithfourrooms

Cheers!

Lisa

P.S. If you have a topic for the blog, please let me know by messaging me on the Facebook page.