Magical Perseverance

“Courage and perseverance have a magical talisman, before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish into thin air.” – John Quincy Adams

Magical Perseverance

I have known my friend Ron Hein for right at thirty years now.  So, when he called me a few weeks ago asking me to help market a family property I was so glad.  I knew we would be able to spend some good personal time together.  You see, we have been in the throes of raising families and haven’t spent much time together as a result.  Now our lives are changing and we are entering a new season.

Ron’s father recently passed away and he, along with his siblings, were left with his home of many years to clean up and distribute.  He invited me to walk through the house, along with his brother and sister, so I could have an idea of what help they needed to find a new owner.  It was during this meeting that I first got an idea as to the kind of resilience that life was developing within Ron.

Since I work in sales I have often repeated the words of Samuel Johnson during difficult transactions.  He said, “Great works are performed not by strength but by perseverance.”  I have learned over time that few attributes correlate more directly with success than does perseverance.  It is also one of the toughest characteristics to instill in oneself.  In fact, shrugging off failure and redoubling efforts takes perseverance.  Picking oneself up off the ground to where one has been knocked and taking another shot at the goal takes perseverance.   Resisting pain, sometimes humiliation, too, and remaining stubbornly focused on the task takes enormous reserves of perseverance.

So how do you increase your ability to persevere?  The answers were revealed to me as I listened to Ron recount his current situation.  Two of the most traumatic events life offers us are death of a loved one and completing a real estate transaction.  My friend was in the middle of dealing with both at the same time!  This experience has taught him to follow his head rather than his heart or body.

Ron works full time every day and has spent nights, for months, cleaning his father’s old home, making repairs and reclaiming the yard.  Through this period I can guarantee you that his heart has urged him to spend his evenings relaxing with family or friends.  There have been evenings when his body has urged him to climb into bed and go to sleep.  And, each and every time he overcame one of these urgings and adhered to his plan he increased his ability to persevere!  He was strengthening his perseverance muscle.

I don’t know many people who get up each morning saying, “Oh boy, I hope I can strengthen my perseverance muscle today!”  Perhaps that’s why life comes with “seasons of living;” each season brings with it new joys, new challenges and new growth if we will simply see the opportunities and grasp them. 

To get the most growth possible grasping means more than just living though events.  One must internalize the challenge, embrace it and own the resulting growth.  Only then can one be fully ready to move on to new opportunities.  Perseverance naturally leads to resilience.

It is having the attribute of resilience that will allow you to have deep joy and hope for the future.  It allows you to spring into your future with confidence and anticipation.  Have you looked into the eyes of a two-year-old as she learns one skill and then follows her shinning eyes with haste and vigor to her next lesson?  That’s what I wish for you! Look at the world through two-year-old eyes and enjoy your life with delight!