Persistence

Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence.
Talent will not; nothing is more commonplace than unsuccessful men with talent.
Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.
Education alone will not; the world is full of educated derelicts.
Persistence and Determination alone are omnipotent.
- Calvin Coolidge

You may have noticed that I do not post on a regular basis. I want to, and I mean to, but I don’t. Why? Because I do not persist in my posting. I allow things to distract me. I let myself use the excuse “I’m too tired” or “I don’t want to” or a variety of other things. But, like with all other worthy goals, regularly posting to my blog takes persistence. And sometimes, persistence lags.

Nothing gets accomplished if you don’t persist. The Future you want does not get created if you do not continue to do what needs to be done. If you quit part way through the process, it doesn’t get done. The Future you envisioned doesn’t come to pass. You must persist in what you want.

Sometimes, this may take years. There are times when the next step has to take a back seat to more pressing concerns. Sometimes, you can do only bits and pieces for a long period of time. For example, if you are caring for children or parents, their needs cannot be put on hold – but neither can yours! Remember that – take care of yourself so you do not become bitter towards their needs. You may have only a few minutes here and there each day (if that!) to work on your Future, to persist towards your goal. But if you don’t persist, if you allow those minutes to waste away, then your Future not only will be a long time coming – it’ll never arrive. This is not to say that you must spend all of your time working – first for those dependent on you and then on your Future. Part of your Future should be (in my opinion – you’re entitled to disagree – it’s YOUR Future) you, healthy and relaxed as often as possible. Which means that you should take time to relax, recharge your batteries, catch a breath. Just remember what I said earlier about junk food for the soul. When you relax, actually relax. If you’re going to fill your soul with some kind of activity, make it about relaxing rather than your Future. Make it about your Future rather than about junk food. If you’re already relaxed and have taken care of yourself, work on your Future. Persist in it. Give it a couple of minutes each day, or at least a thought if you don’t have a couple of minutes. Not a guilt-ridden thought about how you “should” or “ought to”, but a reminder, both to yourself and to your Future. “I haven’t forgotten. I just don’t have time right now.”

The only way to write a book is to persist in putting words on paper (or at least virtual paper on word processing software). The only way to build muscles is to exercise them a little or a lot over a period of time, consistently. The only way to lose weight is to not eat the extra calories every day, or at least more often than you used to (you are wonderful, and you do deserve cake and/or ice cream every once in a while!). You have to persist in what you want. Or you will get what you persist in.

Your Future can be created. You can give birth to a wondrous Future. Don’t lose hope. Persist.