The Persistent Achiever

The three great essentials to achieve anything worthwhile are, first, hard work; second, stick-to-ittiveness; third, common sense. - Thomas Edison

This is how you develop the persistence you need for any worthwhile venture:

Have a definite purpose: knowing what one wants is the first, and perhaps, the most important step toward the development of persistence. People are seldom persistent if they cannot say categorically in clear terms what it is they want.

Get set for difficulties: Settle it in your mind that things will not be an easy ride. Most times, you never know the difficulty of a task until you venture out to do it. “Is there anyone… who, planning to build a new house, doesn’t first sit down and figure the cost so you’ll know if you can complete it? If you only get the foundation laid and then run out of money, you're going to look pretty foolish. Everyone passing by will poke fun at you: ‘He started something he couldn't finish.’”

Learn from mentors: Irrespective of what it is, you are most likely not the first to do what you are preparing to do or are doing already. Many times we behave like loners on an expedition. Knowing that people have gone before us will help us to learn from the difficulties they faced, obstacles they overcame and mistakes they made. We can prevent all the wrong turns they took and also learn how they overcame the present difficulties we are facing.

Do something daily no matter how small: There may be some things you cannot do now. You may need more money, some expertise or some more education. Ignore those things without forgetting about them completely. You are ignoring them so that you can focus on the things you are able to do at the moment to make progress in your endeavor. Do something today, no matter how small.

Develop Diligence: only diligent people ever achieve anything meaningful. Diligent people always make progress in their fields. They excel and are always sought for anywhere they go. Solomon said, “Do you see a man diligent in his business? “He shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before unknown men”. This is a major difference between the genuinely rich and the poor in every society. “Laziness, leads to poverty; hard work makes you rich.”

Tell yourself “I can do it”: you are the right person for the challenges you face. Not your neighbor, friend or brother – but you! All you need to do is search inside you. You are deeper than you think. You have more inside you than you are seeing right now. You “can do all things through Christ which strengthens.” Belief in one's ability to carry out a plan encourages one to follow the plan through with persistence. Get inside you and draw out the resilience, the ideas, the creativity, and the energy you need to stand.