PERSEVERANCE

 PERSEVERANCE

Each New Year I choose one word to focus my mindset on to help me achieve what I want in many areas of my life. My word this year is Perseverance. First of all, it is defined as doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success. Some synonyms for my word would be: persistence, tenacity, determination, resolution, purposefulness, dedication and commitment. All of these are positive in my eyes. 

It does sort of border on a stubbornness about sticking with a goal or intention against the willingness to let it go. The way that I prefer to look at it is to let another door open in order to accomplish my intentions. In a study by Carol Dweck on the growth of mindsets found that those who treat challenges and limitations as opportunities  to develop and learn, tend to perform better in the long run. By persisting when challenges are placed in front of them, the rewards tend to be deeper and wider in their skill set.

Another benefit of perseverance is that none of us know when our luck will turn. It usually is very random. It just happens, like a hot streak. Just imagine all of the authors, artists, songwriters and performers worked with dedication and then they made it big time. The general public usually thought they were an overnight success while in reality they had been hard at work and tried different methods to achieve what they desired over an extended period of time.

There are some studies that show perseverance may have a harmful downside. It was shown that some people fixated on long time cherished goals which meant they ignored better alternatives. If one remains under the magical spell of their dream, they may be unable to explore other options that may be more viable. For some it can be bad for their mental and physical health because of the stress level. This is most definitely the time to be aware of the fact that some tweaking must take place. 

When I ask myself whether to stick with my intentions or to let them go, it is time to weigh the potential to continue developing in small steps and march forward with my stubborn perseverance despite the slower progress. The key to success is action and the essential in action is perseverance.

To me, this expression helps to make my thoughts on perseverance come alive: