People are often curious as to how certain individuals seem to achieve so much during their lives. These people who accomplish the success of an unusual nature are often given credit for being different, strange, geniuses, lucky, or they are believed to have some magic formula. Heading
But the fact is that one thing, more than anything else, exemplifies the successful person. Persistence is the thing.
There’s a quotation: “Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not… nothing is more common. 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.”
Well, there you have it in a nutshell. Persistence and determination are omnipotent; before them, nothing can long stand.
For example, the person who studies medicine will become a doctor someday. Just the same, the person who makes up his mind and has the determination to stay with it will most certainly accomplish it.
The trouble with most people, people who don’t seem to accomplish very much is that they don’t know what they want. They first try one thing and then another. Or they mark time, waiting for some unknown “opportunity” to come along. If they would make up their minds about what they want and have persistence and determination, they could relax knowing that, while it might take a long time, one day, they will reach the fulfillment of their dream.
Persistence is the condition that makes dreams come true.
If a person persists long enough, he must and will become qualified for that which he seeks. Now, talent will help, as will genius and education. The more you have to work with, the better. But the fact remains that a person can be quite short in the talent, genius, and education departments and still get to where he wants to go if he only knows what he wants!
I have long believed that the reason many people don’t accomplish more is that they don’t know what causes success. They think it’s difficult and complicated and involves many years of study, financial backing, and some wizardry. So, as a result, they do nothing at all.
A man or woman can do more in a year than someone otherwise would accomplish in five years. Moreover, to go farther in five years than an average person would in forty years.
Persistence sounds easy when you hear the word, but it’s not easy at all.
All kinds of things pop up, some of them so severe, they make you think there’s no way on earth to get around them. At times like these, the person without enough persistence finds it easy to rationalize himself back into his old rut again. His excuses may sound fine and convincing, even to himself, but they’re still excuses — nothing more.
A man wrote to me that he always wanted to write a book, but for years was too busy. Now that he was retired and had plenty of time, he said he was too upset to write.
Finding excuses for not doing something is easy; finding the persistence that will result in success is not.
You might want to remember this quote: “Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not… nothing is more common. 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.”