We’ve all heard the phrase “If at first, you don’t succeed, try, try again.” This old adage is more than just a cute saying; it’s an essential reminder of the power of persistence. Persistence is often the key to success and it is something that we should not overlook. In this blog post, we will explore the power of persistence and how it can help you reach your goals.
First, let’s discuss what we mean by persistence. Persistence can be thought of as a combination of two other important skills: persistence and motivation. Motivation is the desire to take action, while persistence is the ability to keep taking those actions despite obstacles and challenges. In other words, motivation gets you going, and persistence gets you through.
No matter what you’re trying to achieve, at some point, you’ll encounter an obstacle that threatens to derail your plans. A relationship breakup, a career transition, a new diet and fitness regimen, etc. These are all examples of when motivation is needed to get you going and persistence is needed to keep you moving in the right direction. Persistence is also necessary if you want your efforts to last beyond the “honeymoon” phase and stay consistent with your goals.
The Power Of Persistence In Action
Let’s look at an example of how persistence can be necessary to achieve a goal. Let’s say that you’ve started a new workout routine. You’re feeling motivated and ready to start training for that 5K race. You complete your training program four times per week for the first two months. Everything goes well, but then life happens. A family member gets sick and you have to change your training schedule. Or maybe your work schedule changes and you no longer have time to train after work. Whatever the reason, you can no longer stick to your original training plan.
At this point, many people would simply give up on their racing goal. They’d feel persistent in the initial two months of training, but not in the following six weeks when they couldn’t stick to the plan. However, if you continue to stay on track with your training—even for just 20 minutes a day—you’ll have the strength and stamina to race. In this case, persistence is necessary to reach your goal.
Another example of the power of persistence comes from a study conducted by Michael Krusche of Ulm University in Germany. He found that individuals who received repeated feedback regarding their mistakes in a computer task showed reduced motivation and performance with future tasks. However, individuals who received repeated negative feedback, but were given the opportunity to correct their errors showed greater motivation with future tasks than those who were only given positive or neutral feedback. Thus, it appears that being persistent in making corrections to your mistakes may help mitigate the negative effects of criticism.
How To Be More Persistent
There are many strategies you can use to be more persistent in pursuit of your goals. One strategy is to break your goal down into smaller goals and goals with specific steps involved. This helps make the goal more concrete and provides you with mini-objectives to be persistent toward completing. Another strategy is to “write down your progress” by recording your progress or successes in a journal or log. Research has shown that simply writing down your successes increases future persistence during challenges. A third strategy is to avoid comparing yourself to other people. Comparison with others typically leads to negative feelings which can derail your motivation and persistence. Finally, find someone who will support you and hold you accountable for your goals and plans. Having someone there to encourage you and cheer you on as you persist through challenges is a powerful tool for success.
In Conclusion
Persistence and motivation are essential for success. To increase your persistence, one should write down one’s successes in a journal, avoid comparison with others, and find someone to support and hold you accountable. With these four strategies, you can set yourself up for success and achieve the goals you set out to reach.