What is persistence?
In one way or the other, we are sure to come across this word consistently, either in your place of work, in school, in your place of worship and even as a person. The Merriam Webster dictionary defines persistence as the quality that allows someone to continue doing something or trying to do something even though it is difficult or opposed by other people. Persistence is a sure way to success if done correctly and wisely.
Let me tell you a brief inspiring story; I once had an issue learning a skill and I really wanted to master that skill badly, I couldn’t afford a paid master class to learn the skill professionally at that time, so what did I do? I kept on using a trial and error formula. I got clients and I lost them all because I lacked the professional skill needed for the job. I didn’t give up as I kept trying persistently without losing focus, then one day, I met with this particular client who offered me a paid test before I could be employed. I was a bit confused because, I didn’t want to mess up again and at the same time, I didn’t want to lose the client because the money involved was a bit huge. He gave me the test and I prayerfully wrote it. He promised to get back to me in 2 days time, I was so confused and at the same time, kept in suspense.
Finally, the two days elapsed and the test wasn’t up to his standard. The message came as a bomb as I almost got a heart attack. I begged him to please, allow me do the job even if he wouldn’t pay me. He accepted when he saw I kept begging persistently, I was so happy and couldn’t thank him enough. I started the unpaid job and each one I submitted kept getting better than the previous. The client was surprised at how I could take an unpaid job so serious like my life depended on it.
A week went by, two weeks passed and on the third week, he messaged me. I began panicking, what did he write? Is he tired of me? Did I do anything wrong?. I kept asking myself series of questions because he has never messaged me before since I got to work with him.
With fear, I opened his message and these were his words; “Good morning, Precious. I must admit that I am wowed by your performance. You have shown me in these past few weeks the true meaning of persistence, I must confess, I am so proud of you. Your performance seems to be better than when you took the test and with this, I will be hiring you on a long term. Have a nice day”. Was I dreaming? My joy knew no bound as I knew my persistence has finally paid off.
The significant point here is to keep trying no matter how stressful it might seem, no matter how rigorous the task may be, those sleepless nights, those trials and errors will surely pay off one day, just be persistent and optimistic.
Let’s look at some benefits of being persistent.
Benefits of persistence
Persistence will motivate you to try harder.
When you persist in anything you do, you keep challenging yourself with the thoughts that I can do better than my previous and with this, you keep getting closer to your goals and ambitions gradually.
Persistence makes you become an expert.
The truth is, if you indulge in something for the first time, it won’t really be perfect but if you keep trying consistently, repeating it continuously, you will definitely become better and even an expert in it.
Persistence is a sign of ambition.
In the short story I told, you can see that I was persist, this made me achieve my ambition and goal. Most successful people we all know didn’t just wake up one morning and became successful, it took them lots of time and persistence to attain that level.
You will set a good example.
We have great successful people who were persistent and now leading as examples in the likes of Elon Musk, Thomas Edison and a great number of others. If they had given up their dreams and ambitions, will their names be heard? The answer is No.
In conclusion, don’t give up in whatever you do, be consistent, keep trying and watch yourself become a master in it.