"Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'press on' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race." -- Calvin Coolidge

The dictionary defines persistence as, "continue in spite of obstacles or objections".

...in spite of obstacles...

From our youth, if we didn't have persistence, we would never learn to talk or walk, or achieve any of the other things we did as we grew up. Admittedly, this persistence was almost "automatic", but it was there nevertheless.

Then when we grow up, persistence is more like hard work, and we tend to back away from it, so to speak. But Mr Coolidge's words cannot be questioned, because without persistence and determination, there is very little possible in life. When we set goals, persistence forms an integral part of the process if we are to achieve our goals.

Unquestionably, there are many, many unsuccessful people with talent. I know a man who has vast talent in a number of fields: singing, painting, dancing, and a lot more. But he does not have persistence or determination. The result is that he has achieved nothing in his life.

The world is a very competitive playing field, and often it is only those with persistence that reach the top. Is persistence hard work? All it means is keeping on keeping on - one step at a time. Think of building a house - no matter how big the structure, it is achieved one brick and a time.

Consider the runners who take part in the South African Comrades Marathon, a road race of 90 km. I am in awe as I watch these people on TV, as they run/walk this awesome distance, and the pain and exhaustion of some of the runners at the end is mind boggling. Some even crawl over the end line - pure determination!

We must never cower to the first obstacle that we encounter, no matter in what endeavor this occurs. If we are to reach our goal, we must develop persistence; without it very little of value can be accomplished.

The eaziGOAL goal setting system covers the concepts of persistence and determination in depth, plus a lot of other effective goal setting techniques.

I have this quote on a plaque, on my desk, and it serves as a daily reminder that without persistence and determination, success will be extremely difficult to reach.

Make it your goal to...

Whenever you feel like throwing in the towel, think of these words, and 'press on', just one step at a time. You will reach your destination with persistence and determination. Make that one extra phone call, write that one extra page, give that hug. Just do that little extra, it will pay off in the end. When things really get tough, take a break, but NEVER GIVE UP!