The Power of Persistence

You can achieve more in your life by obstinately refusing to let go of your hunger for success. The longer you persist towards your goals, the more likely it is that you will succeed. You can achieve almost any goal through persistence. Persistence is the ability to focus and take action towards your goals even past the point where everyone else would give up.

Persistence is stubbornly sticking to your plan for success even when the going gets tough. Many people give up when the going gets tough. Many will give up at the first sight of trouble or obstacles. You must never give up on your goals, instead focus all your energy and keep taking action towards your goals. Never let up but instead be resolute in your desire to succeed even when giving up may seem like the better option.

I don’t know of anyone who has ever succeeded by chance. Every success story that I know of was years in the making. Successful people are persistent people. I try and emulate that side of successful people. I believe in persisting towards my goals even when everyone around me doubts me and maybe thinks that I am nuts. It is trait I hope to develop more and to inspire you to develop it because I know its potency. By never giving up, you give yourself an unfair advantage over others who easily give up. You tilt the playing field to your favor.

Below are some inspiring quotes to do with persistence. I hope they inspire you to persist towards your goals.

• Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan ‘Press On’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race. Calvin Coolidge

• Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all. Dale Carnegie

• That which we persist in doing becomes easier, not that the task itself has become easier, but that our ability to perform it has improved. Ralph Waldo Emerson

• When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you, till it seems as though you could not hang on a minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn. Harriet Beecher Stowe

Silvester Stallone

One of the most inspiring stories I have ever heard on the topic of persistence is Silvester Stallone of the Rocky Movies.

According to Wikipedia, Silvester Stallone is an Academy Award-nominated American actor, director, producer and screenwriter. One of the biggest box office draws in the world from the 1970s to the 1990s, Sylvester Stallone is an icon of machismo and Hollywood action heroism. He has played two characters who have become a part of the American cultural lexicon: Rocky Balboa, the boxer who overcame all odds to fight for love and glory, and John Rambo, a courageous soldier who specialized in very violent rescue and revenge missions.

It was not an easy climb to the top for Silvester Stallone. In his early days as an aspiring actor, he was so broke but would not take an average job as it would interfere with his hunger to be an actor. His wife pressurized him to get a job but Stallone would not hear of it. He kept trying to audition for parts but kept being rejected.

Then one day (March 24, 1975), Stallone saw the Muhammed Ali–Chuck Wepner fight which inspired the foundation idea of Rocky. Chuck Wepner was clearly the underdog but he kept on going. He was quite persistent and that impressed Stallone who got busy that night and started writing the script for Rocky. He wrote the script for over 20 hours continuously. After that he tried to sell the script without much initial success.

He kept trying to sell but kept getting rejected. By that time he was so poor that he decided to sell his dog. He was devastated for having to do this but he felt he had no choice. After desperately looking for strangers to buy his dog, he finally found a buyer outside a liquor store and sold it for $25.

After persistently trying to sell his script, someone got interested in buying but only if Stallone did not star in it! Even though he was broke, he knew what he wanted and did not sell out. They had offered to buy the script for $100,000 but they kept upping the offer until they got to $400,000 but Stallone would hear none of it.

Eventually they agreed to have him play the lead role, but only for $25,000. He accepted and as soon as he got his money, he went to buy back his dog. The new owner refused to sell it to him! Again Stallone persisted until the guy sold it back to him for $15,000 and the right to appear in the movie! That guys is in the Rocky movie apparently. But guess what? Stallone and the dog, his best friend, were also in the film.

The film, made for only $1.1 million, and shot relatively fast in 28 days, was a sleeper hit; it made over US$117.2 million, and won three Oscars, including Best Picture. The film received many positive reviews and turned Stallone into a major star. It spawned five sequels: Rocky II, III, IV, V, and Rocky Balboa.

Persistence paid off for Silvester Stallone and it will for you too. Please enjoy the clip below. It is a motivational talk by Anthony Robbins. He spoke to Silvester Stallone and got the inside story of persistence. I think it is worth your time to listen to it (watch).

Now let us look at practical ways you can apply persistence to succeed in some areas of life.

1. Health

Your body is here to stay, so treat it right. You should set health goals and persist with them. Many people “get bored” of taking care of their bodies. Always remember to take healthier lifestyle choices and be persistent about it. For example, don’t just exercise for a couple of months before you gym membership runs out. Have a total commitment to your body, health and fitness at all times. This is one area of life where you have no choice but to be persistent.

2. Career

Choose to do what you love in life. Have attainable yet challenging career goals. You alone are responsible for your career choices and achievements. Remember being good at what you do has very attractive perks, but it does not come easy. It is easier to just tug along and do what your employer tells you to do. Aim to do more than your call of duty and persist towards your goals. Gain specialized skills and experience to be the best in your career. This will open up doors that you might have thought of as impossible.

3. Relationships

Relationships take work to make them work. Be persistent in learning about your partner, what makes them happy. Never tire of looking for ways to improve the relationship. All relationships, from love based relationships to bilateral relationships between countries require a persistent approach to make them work. Persistence in relationships does not mean doing the same thing over and over but finding creative ways of making the relationship grow, year in year out.

4. Contribution

Contribution means giving something of value to make a difference in somebody else’s life. It may be giving money to a charity or advice to a friend. Be persistent in your contribution. Don’t be a one hit wonder. I want to be persistent in writing articles on this blog to inspire you to be the best you can be. Think of ways you can make a difference in people’s lives.

5. Mind

Your mind is the swiss army knife for your success. You can use your brain to dream, desire, encourage, solve, destroy, attract your success. Learn to harness your mind to bring out the best in you. Be persistent in feeding your mind by planting good seeds and positive thoughts. Read positive books, listen to uplifting music, talk to successful people etc. Do whatever you can to keep your mind sharp and up to the task of moving you to your goals. Do not give up on learning even when you think you know it all or when the going gets tough. Be persistent in enhancing your mind as a tool for your success.

Over to you now…

In everything you do, be persistent. Go for your goals even when the going gets tough. That is how you tilt the playing field to your favor. Many people give up or get bored in their quest for success. Do not join them. What areas of life have you been giving up on? Are you able to apply the power of persistence in your life beginning today? Over to you now…

In this Series:

• The Power of Persistence
• The Power of Gratitude
• The Power of Positive Thinking
• The Power of Hard Work

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