Do you give up at the first sign of resistance? Everyone wants to succeed at something. The road to success is paved with persistence and many obstacles. Reaching and maintaining other important values or virtues in life all begin with persistence. Although, the meaning of persistence can be something different for everyone we all have the same goal. Persistence builds character, personality traits, and it is the foundation to our success. Persistence is associated with other character traits such as success, honor, pride, ability, hope, courage, frustration, dedication, and many others. The Oxford dictionary defines persistence as “continuing, firmly, or obstinately in an opinion or course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition .”
My definition of persistence is quite simple; however, the actual process is tedious and repetitive. I would define persistence as a character trait of a person who is relentless in reaching the desired goal. I would further my definition to include, but not limited to those who despite numerous failed attempts, the negativity of others, or discouragement of any shape, form, or fashion to continue working towards a goal, never giving up, even when given every reason to. Persistence is much more difficult than one’s ability.Persistence is not a failure. Bill Bradley once said “Ambition is the path to success. Persistence is the vehicle you arrive in.” Persistence is a universal quality in people who are successful, who are focus driven daily until the desired results are reached. No one wants to be a failure, but some people have a higher persistence level than others.
As we live our lives we learn from the mistakes we make, and without realizing it we make progress towards our goals. All along the way, we must be prepared to be flexible, optimistic, and ambitious in experimenting the different techniques or strategies have passed or failed the results we wanted. I cannot think of a single person who has found pleasure in the difficulties we endure in life, but hard work and dedication do pay off, sooner or later it happens. However, the way we each decide to rise above these difficulties is what helps regulate our level of success. The belief that if we try hard enough and by trial and error we will reach our goal. Our optimism is what tells us to keep trying. Persistence is about continuing to do something even when there is a good reason to quit. But little do we realize that these ups and downs are challenges thrown at us. Persistence, optimism, and dedication develop as we learn new a lesson, and we will always face challenges and obstacles in life, but the payoff is when we refuse to give up.
This is what life does, it keeps giving us issues or factors, accept them, and overcome them. But we must keep moving forward, don’t stop because it seems unattainable.With everything good, there is bad, and persistence is not Just like every aspect of life, persistence has its bad side as well. Generally, when we think of persistence we think it is a good character quality, however, not everyone uses persistence for good. Stalkers are persistent on their focus of objectivity, when a person will use all forces necessary to reach their goals, or when one person who is well informed that another is not romantically interested, yet they continue to make flirtish gestures to the uninterested person. A few of these instances can lead to legal implications such as restraining orders. The opposite of persistence is stubbornness. Persistence is good while stubbornness is bad. Occasionally the bad elements of persistence can arise just as the good elements of stubbornness can. It is influenced by how persistence is used or demonstrated, especially when faced with trials and tribulations thrown into our perfect formulated plans.All too recently I had exemplified persistence.
Just like everyone else, I set a goal for myself. I fully believe that something worth doing is worth doing right, a catchy old saying. I also want to be successful, both in my academics and career. When I decided to go back to school, I had many mixed emotions just as many people do. I spent countless hours reading and learning on how to be successful in college. I applied to OSUIT, and after being accepted and fully enrolled for the Spring 2017 semester, my goal was to get into Phi Theta Kappa, which is a National Honor Society for colleges. I am ecstatic to be attending my induction ceremony on Thursday, March 1, 2018. In conclusion, persistence is a quality of a person who never gives up on themselves or their goals and dreams. It is easy to get discouraged when you continually strive to achieve something, and it does not work out. Persistence is something much the ability to do it, and it is difficult. By always trying to better yourself you will always be a better you. Perseverance shows the courage of a person, not just show of effort. We must stay positive, remain dedicated, and keep moving forward.
