What Perseverance Looks Like

Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after the other." - Walter Elliot, American priest and minister (deceased)

"Perseverance is favorable." - I Ching

For a lot of us, life feels like an endless loop of trying to roll that stone up that hill. Sometimes we go up a little, sometimes we slip back.

But what keeps us going? Our perseverance, obvs, you think. But what is perseverance? Why do we have it? And why does it drive us to keep on rolling that stone up that mfing hill?

Inherent in perseverance is the idea of something hard or challenging. According to Dictionary.com, perseverance is "persistence in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success." 

If I asked you, "where does your perseverance come from," how would you respond? Perhaps you'd say it's something innate, something that w.e were born with or that we all have. Or maybe something we have to "dig deep" within ourselves to find or access.

In reality, perseverance is more of a skill than a trait. It can be taught and learned, strengthened and weakened with practice or lack thereof. We can build it up like a muscle.

And there's a lot of good reasons to build it.

Perseverance is that stick-to-it-ness that enables us to keep going even in the face of major obstacles, including failure. It helps us understand what's working and what's not, and to adapt for success. 

According to an article from Positive Psychology, perseverance "is closely related to a range of other concepts including resilience, motivation, drive, determination, grit, passion, and conscientiousness.

Various studies have shown that perseverance is an essential quality for success in life (Duckworth, 2016). It often tops aptitude and raw talent and is a more accurate predictor of achievement.

Our ability to stick with our tasks, goals, and passions is vital. Persevering entails effort and practice. It also involves our ability to learn from failure and try again when thrown off our horses until we get thrown off no more (Dweck, 2017)."

There are numerous ways to build your perseverance muscle, from the lofty ("Don't fear failure!", "Get 1% better each day!") to the practical. Though I love me some inspirational, pithy quotes, let's go with actionable steps to strengthen perseverance. Here are a few.

1. Identify and take one small step - When you're rolling that stone up the hill, don't keep looking at how far you have to go to get to the top. Just put one foot in front of the other. IRL, for example, if you're struggling with wanting to eat healthier, maybe your one small step is drinking a glass of water every morning. Or at work, if you're struggling with a project, perhaps you feel that having a discussion with your boss would be helpful. Start there.

2. Remember times you've persevered before - Recalling situations where you've succeeded overcoming a challenge because you persevered is helpful. It reminds you that you're capable and that you can do it again. When did you last feel like you overcome or succeeded at something? Dive deep into that memory, and not just with your mind. Remember how your body felt, what your emotions were, and how you responded. Getting as close to the feeling as you can inspires you to call up your perseverance in the present.

3. Slow and steady - You've heard it before. Shoot for reasonable, measured actions and a manageable pace for reaching your goals. Don't try to tackle everything all at once. In the previous example about healthier eating, don't plan to switch up your entire diet in a day. Start with your small steps and incorporate them one at a time in a realistic timeframe.

4. Stop - Sometimes we try to push through things to the point of near insanity. Don't discount rest and space. Take a breather. The problem will still be there. Step away from it a moment, so you can refresh, renew, and tackle it with a different perspective.

5. Or not - Isn't perseverance about practicing persistence? So keep going (provided it isn't harming you or anyone else). Even if you aren't sure about your next step, hold in your mind the thought that you are still moving forward, that you are not quitting. This keeps you in the mindset of positive motion that can help carry you through.

Cheers to our perseverance!