Being persistent in life for any good reason brings positive changes. It is important to use your mind, body, and strength wisely to chase your goals. Interestingly, the Bible also commands us to persist in prayers.
Have you got any plans or goals that you would like to see materialized? If your answer is “Yes” then there is something essential you should never ignore. You might have all the arsenals needed in running a successful business or living a happy fulfilling life —but if you lack the zeal to keep on moving forward, you will hit the ground. Lack of persistence in any goal has been a major setback for many.
As you find yourself reading this piece of content I will share with you some helpful reasons why persistence is very important in life. I mean in all facets of life (eg. education, marriage, startups, goals, ministry, etc) if you want to win and enjoy the rewards for a very long time.
What Is Persistence?
Just a quick reminder, let’s find out the meaning of persistence; It is defined as:
“The fact of continuing in an opinion or course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition.”
Yes, that is it. A continuous effort on any goal must have the elements of “quality” and “purpose.” These two elements are very necessary if you seriously want to see the manifestation and progress in whatever is buried deep inside your heart.
Things To Know When Being Persistent
To be persistent in life for whatever course; it should be motivated at all times. Anyone who lacks the motivation to pursue his goals would certainly fail. Bear in mind that, the definition we touched on highlighted the word “difficulty.”
This means there would always be different levels of opposition. If you stay focused on your goal without any fear, you can thrive at the top of the ladder of success.
Remember, in this hectic world nothing good comes on a silver platter. That is why this crazy world doesn’t smell pleasant for the weak, fretful and lazybones.
Get ready and fight for your goals. In other words, we are told never to give up. That is very true but quite difficult in applying in reality.
I believe you have to be on the right track or move in the right direction at all times. Surely, you would foresee the amazing prize or reward ahead of you; Persist to the end.
How Does Persistence Work?
Now, I will cite a few examples to inspire and motivate you —use simple tools of success to overcome anything that challenges your lofty goals.
1. Like The Water And The Rock
Persistence in life works like having a bowl of water, tap, or large gallon of water with the task of using this soft water to create a noticeable change in the rock.
Yes, you might look feeble like water but its force or current can break the hardest rock. It takes wisdom and the act of persistence to create a way through the toughest moment in your life or move any mountain of obstruction.
Here if you pour all the water on the rock, you wouldn’t see any change; Neither would you break through it, because you did it once and stopped! But if you attack the rock by letting consistent drops of water fall on a target area —it will create a hole in the long run. That hole could be widened through the same process which will finally break it. This is what the power of persistence can do.
Similarly, being persistent in life is like a stream flowing consistently on a rock. This gradual and continuous process can break the rock. It’s a very good example of how persistence brings success and happiness to people.
The scenario of the water and the rock also teaches us a lesson about:
• persistence
• patience
• proper planning in life.
2. Like The Lonely Flower
There is a motivational story about a lonely flower that nearly perished among its colleagues when drought destroyed their habitat —leaving them with no water to survive.
This little flower looked around and all its friends were nowhere to be found. They couldn’t survive the intense heat of the scorching sun.
Saddened and left alone, this flower made a bold decision to move in search of water. It held the belief that even a drop of water can bring a huge change.
So there it started moving through the heated deserted area. Life was unbearable, the ground was so hot that every single step sends painful shockwaves through its body.
This little flower persisted and finally crossed to a different land area where the rain was falling. Just a few drops of water on it revitalized it to defy death.
Now can you imagine the joy of ecstasy that would flow through the body of this little flower? The payoff of all the pains and suffering you have to go through like this flower would be great in the long run. Persistence is a powerful mental weapon that inspires you to move forward and defy all odds.
I believe the moral lesson behind these two examples of persistence in life is very clear. “Never give up” is a common phrase but it is powerful enough to give you the strength and hope to keep on chasing what you have dreamed of.
How To Be Persistent
I understand many are asking questions about how to be persistent in life. The truth is, being persistent require a few preparations from both psychological, physical and spiritual point of view. You need to be serious about your goals; in this case, go all out with your best weapons and win over any obstruction or challenge.
Now below are some of the things to help you know how to be persistent:
1. Mental Mindset
If you fail to maintain a positive mindset towards your goal, you cannot complete whatever you started as a beautiful dream. Be a person of positivity. Even in the darkest times, you must stay hopeful and motivated.
Your brain is a powerful tool that sends signals to your whole body. So kindly don’t demotivate yourself in any circumstance if you have lofty goals ahead.
2. Look At The Prize Not The Challenge
Always, as someone who yearns for success in any field of life, let your target be a motivational instrument for you. In other words, forget about the pains or suffering you face today and smile always by gazing at the horizon. That is where you belong not in your inconvenient state. As it is said, pain is temporal, victory is permanent.
Having an insight about your final destination concerning your dreams should be visualized at all times —especially when discouragement is about to set in. Persist until you reach your goals. Ask yourself why you started the education, marriage, business, job, etc, and let those initial thoughts of positivity stay with you.
3. Break Goals Into Small Tasks
It always works best for anyone wanting to make greater achievements in life to prioritize his goals. Begin by finishing the whole task little by little just like the saying: little drops of water make a mighty ocean.
You can plan your goal in such a way that, each day/month you will accomplish a certain portion of the whole task. It’s a journey of a thousand miles but every single step counts.
4. Stay Focused
If you can maintain your positive thoughts without letting anything derail you from your prime target, then surely you will reach the promised land. Move with the ideas in your head and make sure you are on course. Being in the same lane with the same purpose would help all your persistent effort pay off in the long run.
If you are not an experienced person in the journey you are taking —then I will advise you to avoid multitasking and focus on one single thing at a time. Finish with what you started before you venture into a different project. Again, let all the discouragements and insults fall over your ears like water.
5. Change Plans Not Direction (Dynamism)
We are living in an ever-changing world. There is no need to be rigid in your future plans. The tools or ideas you are using today might be obsolete years later. So keep on upgrading yourself like your android phone or windows computer. Don’t be the person you used to be 5 or 10 years ago. ‘Change’ itself is inevitable.
“The majority of men meet with failure because of their lack of persistence in creating new plans to take the place of those which fail.” —Napoleon Hill
Sometimes, your plans may fail. If this happens, don’t panic. It’s part of the working process. Don’t give up, instead try something else. Test all your arsenals one by one and find the ones that work best. Haha… There you are, shoot for the stars. By knowing your strongholds, you can use them against anything that comes your way. Let the direction remain unchanged.
In marriages where there are always conflicts, a behavior change can sustain it. It works similarly to businesses or jobs. If certain unhealthy attitudes are changed, there would be a boost in productivity. Remember, the goals remain untouched.
6. Time Consciousness And Productivity
Here, I don’t want you to feel like you are too late. Life isn’t a competition. Forget about your contemporaries and predecessors. It’s about you. Learn to move at your own pace. However, remember that time is a non-renewable resource so use it wisely.
If you could use a few hours and rightfully hit on the nail in the right direction; It’s better than spending the whole day moving around that task without creating any positive change.
Be persistent in your pursuit of freedom, or happiness in any area of life worthy of your time, energy, money or other resources.
What Does The Bible Say About Persistence?
The Bible commands believers to be persistent in their prayers. It is not just a suggestion but a “command.” This is the spiritual aspect of persistence that everyone —especially Christians must be aware of.
Persistence can create positive change. If you need something from God, then pray without ceasing as stated in 1Thesalonians 5:17.
Again, remember what Jesus Christ told the 3 disciples when they failed to stay awake and pray (Matthew 26:41). He rebuked them.
In furtherance, Ephesians 6:18 also commands Christians to pray at all times on every occasion. We can clearly see the Bible placing emphasis on the importance of persistence in prayer.
There is no shame in continually asking God for help. If you really believe in God, then go all out and present all your problems to Him.
Luke 11 also teaches us about the instructions on prayer… Verse 8 reads:
“But I tell you this—though he won’t do it for friendship’s sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence.” (Luke 11:8)
Finally, when we take a look at the story of the persistent widow, and the friend in need of bread, what comes into mind? The central theme is the same “persist in prayers.”
You can read the Prayer and the Parable of the Persistent Widow from Luke 18:1- 14.
As you decide to persist in prayer, don’t forget that God answers prayers according to His plans and will. In this case, you can’t tailor your needs to God’s will. Just trust Him and keep on praying and be faithful. He never fails.
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