08 Mar Perseverance Part 1 – The Fuel of Progress

The late Steve Jobs, founder of Apple once said that he believes perseverance is responsible for 50% of all business success. He of all people knows that the road to success can sometimes be very difficult. It is said that this road has many parking lots along the way, and there is the temptation for the weary business person to just park and forgets it all. In this regard, perseverance or persistence if deployed well can become the golden tool that enables the business person to outlast any situation. The important thing to know about persistence or perseverance is that it is not just a skill learned or knowledge acquired. Rather, perseverance also comes from taking a firm and irrevocable decision to continue on the right path which you have carefully chosen, regardless of any challenge or obstacle you may face. Through perseverance, the business person becomes an innovative and risk-embracing individual who finds a way to somehow survive and thrive.

Social reformer and public speaker Henry Ward Beecher identified the difference between perseverance and obstinacy by observing that perseverance evolves from a strong will, while obstinacy comes from a strong won’t. So apply your will by deciding to keep persevering and slugging on, no matter how tough it may seem, but be sure the path is worth the struggle though. Perseverance also means facing down resistance from our mind, from the environment, or from others. To overcome this resistance and keep persevering, you must continuously commit to making your effort for just one more time. You can keep up the continuity of trying by rewarding yourself in a small way for each time you keep trying. This way, your persevering efforts will become like a constant drip of acid, which will eventually wear away at any obstacle.

To ingrain perseverance, the US Navy SEALS—an elite sea, air, and land special fighting force of the US Navy—have a creed. It is their code of conduct and statement of commitment to affirm their decisions to be SEALS. This unique SEAL warrior creed reads in part:

“Forged by adversity … I will never quit. I persevere and thrive on adversity … If knocked down, I will get back up, every time … I am never out of the fight…………”

Think about this, when that challenging business situation arises, what will be your own creed?