Persistence Overcomes Adversity, Leads To Success

There is a great deal of self satisfaction gained when you get past the obstacles and hurdles people put between you and your desires. 

Persistence is what frequently separates the successful from those who are not. According to Dale Carnegie, "Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all." As the Japanese proverb goes, "Beginning is easy ─ continuing is hard."

Too many people are ready and willing to discard their aims, desires, dreams and even purposes in life by casting everything overboard as the first signs of difficulty or misfortune manifest. They see obstacles and failures as defeats, or even worse as misinterpreted "signs" that things are not meant to be the way they had planned, hoped or dreamed.

As we mentioned in the previous blog post on Overcoming Adversity: adversity is a fact of life and it cannot be controlled or avoided. 

Persistence is all about overcoming adversity, and knowing that hardships, problems, stumbling blocks, obstacles, and difficulties are simply ways of making you a better and stronger person. After all, as the old English proverb states, "A smooth sea never made a skilled mariner."

The great Roman poet Horace, who lived just before the time of Christ, identified this characteristic of persistence, writing, "Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents which, in prosperous circumstances, would have lain dormant."

And in more modern times, Michael Jordan had this to say about dealing with problems encountered: "If you are trying to achieve, there will be roadblocks. I've had them, everybody has had them. But obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Find out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it."

There is a great deal of satisfaction to be gained from knowing that you have gotten past, through, around, over, or under the obstacles that life and other people put between you and your desires.

Additionally, a great deal of self confidence is to be gained by overcoming hardships and defeating adversaries who get in your way. As Harry Browne wrote, "When you know that you're capable of dealing with whatever comes, you have the only security the world has to offer." 

That security is your own heightened self confidence. And when it comes to facing adversity, that is the best security to have. 

Please take 10 minutes now and write down a list of the challenges and problems you face, and what steps you can take to help you become more persistence and resilient in handling these. 

For motivational help in this area, please see our book Project You: Words of Wisdom, available at Amazon in Kindle and paperback formats. 

This article is partially excerpted from our top-ranked personal development book, Project You: Living A Determined Life, available in paperback and Kindle formats at Amazon. 

Benefits Of Being A Life-Long Learner

Including Learning from the Lessons of Life 

There are some significant benefits to be gleaned from being a life-long learner, including:

·         Earning more money by enhancing your professional skills or learning new ones.

·         Becoming stronger emotionally as you augment your understanding of your drives, passions, emotions, and triggers.

·         Being more confident in groups and other social situation, for an increased knowledge base will help you become a more engaging and conversant person.

·         Maintaining the health of your brain which, like muscles, will atrophy if not exercised and used.

Another excellent method for learning is to travel, especially to other countries where you can see and engage with other cultures. Traveling provides many outstanding  opportunities to learn and expand your personal knowledge and horizons. In addition, there are numerous specific educational travel programs that combine formal learning with authentic experiences.

Life will also be one of your greatest teachers. Some things you can only learn through experience. For instance, how can you learn to overcome defeat if you never lose? Or how can you truly learn about the beauty and miracle of child birth if you never witness one? Through your life experiences you will also learn about love, what gives you joy, the pleasures of helping another, and the contentment of self satisfaction.

Of course, the lessons of life also include disappointment, sorrow, fear, confusion, frustration, anger, and loneliness. On the other hand, some of the greatest growth and learning you receive will come from such painful lessons.

Either way, good or painful, the lessons that come from living are an important part of your personal journey. 

Go through life not as a spectator or bystander, but as a fully engaged participant. The more you participate, the more life will teach you. 

Knowledge comes not from the events you experience, but from studying, thinking, pondering, and contemplating the how, what and why behind your experiences. 

This article is excerpted from our top-selling book Project You: Living A Determined Life, available in paperback and Kindle formats at Amazon.