Persistence is built over time. The events of our lives mold us and how we respond to these events shapes our future. The most successful in life view this journey as a series of tests. They know what they want and they realize that there will be some bumps in the road to earn their reward. Circumstances that arise can be perceived as good or bad but one must always keep in mind that these instances are merely testing us. We see if we can take what is dealt to us and then move forward to the next stage of our development.
Tough times build character; this is the beauty of how we were created. We actually grow with each perceived setback or shortcoming. The exceptional ones among us all ran into the same or even greater difficulties than ourselves. Many used persistence alone to overcome these obstacles; we must understand that what made these people great was fighting through these trying moments. We are rewarded for each test passed in various forms: perhaps a new take on life, an added positive aspect to our personalities, fortitude. We must see that as we continue to persist, we are getting closer to our goal, no matter what things look like on the outside.
A strong desire is very important in developing persistence. We have discussed in prior articles the importance of knowing exactly what we want in order to move into action. Another vital tool in building persistence is to surround one's self with like-minded people. Positive, enthusiastic, goal-oriented people help boost us toward our goals. When we feel like giving up, that extra charge may be what we need to keep persistent in moving on to our next stage of development. Most great achievers over the course of time surrounded themselves with like-minded people; in Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill called this the mastermind alliance. Unless one has been blessed with an exceptional mind, if we are surrounded by negative people we are just making the persistence test that much tougher on ourselves. Those people won't have the same view on life, and if we disclose any of our ambitions we are subject to derision, sarcasm, or at least a general skepticism. This is not the environment where we will attract wealth and attain success. Tests of our character will be viewed as "bad luck", or "getting cheated" by these types, and while in close proximity to these vibes we will begin to come into harmony with them, and our persistence falters and eventually wilts. We must resolve to throw off these negative influences and surround ourselves with positive people. Spend some leisure time reading self-help, motivational, and positive-thinking books to continually fill the mind with positive ideas and images. Listen to motivational CD's throughout the day. If the big stakes are being pursued, spend almost all leisure time with positive people, books, and CD's. The results will be amazing.
If we are to get what we want in life, we must consistently shed any negative influences and continue to build our desires over the course of time. All perceived negative circumstances are a test of our persistence. With each test passed we gain some positive attribute that we had not before the instance, and in the process develop the power of persistence.
Ryan Biddulph is an entrepreneur and motivational author who inspires people to obliterate their limitations. Use the personal development program which transformed him from an unemployed security guard into an influential webpreneur Wealth Beyond Reason
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