TO ACHIEVE success requires a number of personal qualities. Talent, hard work, dedication, commitment and focus – these are all things that you need to experience the sweet taste of success.
But if there is one necessary quality that overrides all the rest, then without hesitation I would say it is the power of perseverance. When you think back on all the greatest and most successful people through the generations, it is their power of perseverance that stands out above everything else.
SUCCESS
Success is a long and winding road...filled with obstacles and challenges. Anyone who thinks otherwise is surely destined for failure. None of us are immune to the challenges and difficulties that life may throw in front of us, but we do possess the power to choose how we deal with it.
So, what do you do when you come up against an obstacle or challenge? Do you just quit and move on to something else? Or do you find ways to overcome it so you can continue toward the successful fulfilment of your goal? Unfortunately, we now live in a society that is continually is search of instant reward and gratification. Our dreams and goals are thrown on the rubbish heap if we don't get to realise them overnight.
What is important to remember is that the adversities we meet during our lifetime are a necessary part of our growth and development. Adversity is inevitable so we just have to accept them, deal with them and move on. Sure, I have wanted to give up at times as well, but it has been at these very times when I decided to hang on in that I achieved most of my successes.
No quote better highlights the power of perseverance to overcome challenges than one by John Quincy Adams: “Courage and perseverance have a magical talisman, before which, difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish into air."
Ok, you may now be saying, 'Yeah Rhod, it is very easy to preach about the importance of perseverance and to keep going, but what if I am confronted with constant failure? How can I then continue on undeterred towards my goal?'
FAILURE
Facing up to consistent failure can be extremely tough and totally soul-destroying, but I would like to give you one example where adversity and failure didn't destroy, but rather inspired them to go on to achieve truly great success. Thomas Edison's quest to invent the light bulb saw him fail more than 10,000 times, but this did not deter him.
Edison, (pictured left) held steadfast to his vision and demonstrated incredible persistence He just refused to quit, and instead learned from his failures and continued to move forward. Every failure did not for one minute detract him from his end goal. Rather, it moved him one step closer to his eventual ground-breaking invention.
When asked about the number of failures he endured in his quest to invent the light bulb he famously replied: “I have not failed, I have just identified 10,000 ways that it does not work."
This is just one example, but there is an endless list of other great achievers who found that success eventually comes to those who persevere. If you have a dream or goal to achieve, commit today to seeing it through. It is easy to give up when you are confronted with challenges and adversities, but Edison didn't see it that way. It just led him one step closer to success.
Using another of Edison's quotes: “Many of life's failures are people who did not realise how close they were to success when they gave up."
A very important lesson can be learned here. Stopping when we fail can be fatal. We must develop the attitude to keep going, because when we do we will eventually reap the rich rewards of success that we so seek and desire. It really does not matter how quickly you get there, the most important thing is that you just keep going.
ONWARDS
Move wholeheartedly toward your goals, dreams and vision. Rest at some points if you must but don't ever quit. Remember what the great football coach Vince Lomabardi said: “Winners never quit, and quitters never win."
So unleash the power of perseverance in your life – it will, without doubt be the cornerstone of your success. The key to unlocking the door to success is that of perseverance. It has been the key to the success of many of the world's high achievers.
Read every story in our hardcopy newspaper for free by downloading the app.