The Importance Of Persistence And Faith
“The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will.” — Vince Lombardi
Most people don’t have enough trust in themselves to pursue their goals. They subscribe to the belief if they can’t see it; it doesn’t exist. But faith is believing in the intangible and maintaining an unyielding confidence that what you desire will be brought to life. Similarly, believing that our aspirations will come to life if we are patient is necessary to achieve our goals. Persistence means maintaining an unwavering mindset, no matter how difficult the challenge, until we reach our goal.
Why is it essential to keep striving and having faith in yourself to achieve a goal or purpose you might ask? If we have a burning ambition for something, life will not give it to us without effort. Nothing of value and importance comes with ease. We must not only be determined in our pursuit of our goals, but also have a strong faith that our efforts will bring our plans to fruition. Perseverance and faith give each other confidence, and together they are an unstoppable force. Faith is the cornerstone upon which persistence moves in and through the power of momentum, it drives us to pursue our goal. We must have faith to stay the course, or else we will lose hope in our efforts and give up out of fear that success is unattainable.
Therefore, how can we cultivate persistence to achieve our goals? First, we ought to have an empowering purpose for why we are pursuing our goal. In other words, the action must come from a place of deep, intrinsic motivation. For instance, if it is your goal to start a non-profit foundation that benefits people in your community, it is certain you will experience obstacles and challenges that stand in the way of achieving it. However, if your aim is grounded in a powerful WHY, no matter the obstacles or challenges, you will achieve your primary aim. Put another way, the goal is too important to give up on, and the challenges become a way to cultivate strength and courage. Are you content with this understanding so far? Think of a recent goal that failed and consider whether you were persistent in your efforts, as well as holding an unbreakable faith? If not, I trust by the close of this article you will have a better understanding of how to infuse your future goals with faith and persistence.
Cultivating Persistence to Achieve Goals
“The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today.” — Franklin D. Roosevelt
So, how can we build persistence if we are lacking in this quality? First, it’s important we set achievable goals. Not that the goals should be small but that we work towards them, knowing we are likely to achieve them with persistent effort. Second, we ought to focus on the process and not the outcome. In other words, we shouldn’t chase success but pursue excellence because success is a by-product of excellence. I understand it may be difficult to fully appreciate this idea, especially when we have been taught to have a goal and keep working towards it until we reach it. But I’m suggesting, if we focus on the process, we build the skills, and means that cultivate a better outcome.
Similarly, we ought to create a solid plan and stick to it no matter the challenges or obstacles we face. A plan is essential for a builder to construct a house, as it acts as a blueprint for the entire project. The plan may comprise the smallest details, such as the trimmings on the doors, or the bigger details such as the foundations and the position the house sits in the lot. It is also of great importance we keep a positive attitude because assuredly, life will not always go as planned. As alluded to earlier, we will experience setbacks and delays when pursuing our goals. In fact, the bigger the goal, the greater the challenges we will experience. If we keep this in mind, knowing our goal is too important to give up on, we are likely to succeed if we are persistent and develop an unyielding faith.
Striving For Success With Unwavering Belief
“You just can’t beat the person who never gives up.” — Babe Ruth
Having explored the methods for enhancing perseverance, how can we cultivate trust in our life’s journey? First, we must develop an empowering mindset that, no matter the obstacles or challenges, we will persist until our intended objective comes to life. Life’s challenges can be overwhelming, and the feeling of despondence that follows can be difficult to push away; making it hard to stay focused and motivated. But this is where we can cultivate a sense of gratitude and focus on the smaller wins. Put simply, we mustn’t focus on the obstacles that stand in our way, but direct our attention to what works favourably. Is this something you could do? Could you shift your attention away from your disappointments and persist, even when things look bleak? It may not be a simple decision to make, but it is one you will look upon favourably when you have achieved your goal.
Equally, it’s essential that we trust in ourselves and our potential to make our goals a reality. Unquestionably, doubts will seep into our consciousness when pursuing our goals. It is natural to entertain doubt, but we mustn’t stay mired in our doubts for too long. Doubt is useful feedback because it is alerting us to the importance of our goal. However, we must use it to fuel our faith and practise persistence despite the difficulties we face. Deciding is never easy, particularly when your hard work and efforts cannot yield the desired results. But I am a firm believer, we must call on other faculties such as visualisation and harness the power of our subconscious mind to create our intended reality in our mind’s eye. I have been engaging in this exercise for more than a decade, feeling the strength and power it provides.
Ultimately, when we build faith and persistence, we create an unwavering belief in our ability to achieve our intended goal. The metaphor of a “rolling stone gathers no moss” is a worn-out one, but it illustrates the notion that momentum is a potent tool and we need to use it in the right way and not let it go to waste. That is to say, we must keep moving and use the energy of momentum in our favour, particularly when we experience setbacks or failures. Actions are spurred on by a relentless force. Our momentum carries us forward, fuelling our faith that whatever we need will arrive in its own time. Considering this, I invite you to reflect on previous goals that were lacking in faith and persistence. If you must, sit down and list all the ways in which you can apply more endurance and conviction to attain these goals. What processes or actions could you take consistently to help you fulfil your goal? After all, if we are persistent and cling to an unwavering belief that we will achieve our goal, then nothing can stand in the way of it.
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Tony Fahkry
Expert Life Coach
