PERSIST, PRESERVE AND PROSPER

Most of us, among our acquaintances, know at least one rilliant, gifte! "erson w#o,
!es"ite all #is talents an! ca"ailities, ne$er seems to ac#ie$e an%t#ing wort#w#ile&
'e com"are #im in our min!s wit# anot#er frien!, more mo!estl% en!owe!, %et
continuall% s#owing some success or attainment for w#ic# e$er%one a!mires #im&
T#e #ait of "ersistence, t#e !etermination to "erse$ere, are t#e factors w#ic# ma%
make a mo!erate "erson #ig#l% successful& T#eir asence turns e$en t#e most rilliant
into a failure& (or a mo!erate i!ea, carrie! t#roug# to a mo!eratel% goo! conclusion, is
infinitel% more useful t#an a won!erful i!ea t#at is not im"lante!& It is, in fact, t#e ol!
stor% of t#e tortoise an! t#e #are&
)ertain "eo"le #a$e a natural gift for "erse$erance& T#e% are of t#e "s%c#ological t%"e,
known as osessional& T#e% #a$e a "assion for or!erliness, for t%ing u" loose en!s&
*ecause of t#is t#e% cannot tolerate unfinis#e! "ro+ects& Incom"lete work offen!s t#eir
lo$e of ti!iness an! t#e% s%stematicall% "ersist until it is finis#e!&
)arrie! too far, of course, osessional c#aracteristics ecome a form of mental illness&
E$en at a "oint s#ort of t#is, suc# "eo"le can make t#e li$es of ot#ers miserale&
,ack of "ersistence, on t#e ot#er #an!, often goes wit# a want of met#o! an! an
asence of or!er& T#ese are t#e outwar! signs of an unti!% min! an! an un!isci"line!
a""roac# to life&
T#e quest for or!erliness ser$es t#e function of creating t#e rig#t attitu!e or frame of
min! in w#ic# "ersistence naturall% flouris#es& (our "ositi$e lines of action ma% e
"ursue! to strengt#en an! !e$elo" it&
First, an! most im"ortant, is to oe% alwa%s an! wit#out fail t#e in+unction, -Do it
Now&. '#ene$er somet#ing arises t#at nee!s to e !one, !o it at once& T#at is not
alwa%s "ossile, ut no reason e$er e/ists for "utting somet#ing off wit#out first fi/ing
a time to !o it&
Innumerale small #ouse#ol! c#ores cro" u" o$er t#e course of a %ear& (or e/am"le,
fire woo! #as to e c#o""e!, ic%cles nee! oiling, a lock t#at fails to fasten "ro"erl%
nee!s attention& 0os of t#is kin! s#oul! e !one t#e moment t#e% arise& If
circumstances "re$ent t#is, a written note s#oul! e ma!e at once, so t#at action ma%
e taken at t#e earliest "ractical moment&
Putting things off, deciding to do them?some time, more often than not
means that they will not be done at all.
The second secret of "erse$erance is to make use of a time sc#e!ule& T#e time at our
!is"osal is "recious an! limite!& To make t#e est use, an! to get t#ings finis#e!
instea! of onl% starting, it is necessar% to set asi!e a "articular #our eac# !a% for t#at
one "ur"ose&
It is sur"rising #ow muc# ma% e "acke! into a !a% if it is "ro"erl% "lanne!& T#e
amount of time left o$er co$er for "leasure is increase! an! t#e tasks we un!ertake
are com"lete!&
Budget Time
T#is is not in#uman, t#oug# it will ecome so if taken to e/tremes& It is sim"le
common1sense to u!get time as carefull% as mone%& T#e "erson w#o !oes neit#er is
alwa%s s#ort of ot# mone% an! time, w#ile #a$ing not#ing to s#ow for #is e/"en!iture
of eit#er of t#em&
(or t#e "erson w#o reall% wants to learn to "ersist, to stick at t#ings until t#e%
are finis#e!, t#e !ail% time1u!get is essential& Eac# !a% s#oul! egin wit# an%t#ing
left o$er from t#e !a% efore& In t#is wa% %ou "ro$i!e %ourself wit# a constant !ail%
remin!er w#ic# will nag at %ou until a task is com"lete!&
Persistent, persevering action is largely a habit. nce you get into the way of
wor!ing regular and steadily, it becomes second nature. To do this it is
important to tac!le things by stages.
Persistence is #in!ere! w#en t#e si2e of a +o makes it look formi!ale& It is easier to
get on wit# it w#en onl% t#e ne/t small ste" is to e !one& 3n!ertake eac# ste"
un#urrie!l%, making sure it is !one "ro"erl% an! wit#out looking too far a#ea! to t#e
coming stages& As eac# little it of t#e work is !one start t#inking aout t#e ne/t&
'#en work #as to e left until anot#er !a%, lea$e it in suc# a state t#at %ou can start
imme!iatel% w#en %ou resume& (or instance, man% writers reak off in t#e mi!!le of a
"aragra"#& '#en t#e% resume work t#e% carr% on wit# t#e i!ea alrea!% in t#eir min!s&
T#is gets t#em going for t#e !a%, w#ereas to start t#e !a% at t#e eginning of a new
c#a"ter is muc# #ar!er&
"lways leave a #ob in such a state that the ne$t action is clear and may be
done without any preliminary thought when you ne$t turn to it.
Persistence o$er a long "erio! of time is acquire! onl% % t#e e/ercise of will1"ower,
reinforce! % a strong !esire to ac#ie$e some clearl% recogni2e! amition& Once %ou
#a$e ma!e a c#oice of a long1term goal %ou must stick to it, "utting ot#er t#ings firml%
to one si!e&
It is no use !aling first wit# one t#ing, t#en wit# anot#er, acquiring onl% a
smattering of knowle!ge or skill at eac#& )#oose w#at %our interests or aims are to e,
t#en rut#lessl% !iscar! ot#ers, recogni2ing t#em for t#e !istractions w#ic# t#e% are&
4our "owers of "ersistence ma% meet a se$ere test w#en %ou come u" against an
ostacle or a set1ack to %our "lans& At suc# times, t#e tem"tations to gi$e u" ma% e
strong&
%ight "ttitude
T#e rig#t attitu!e towar!s set1acks can #el" %ou to o$ercome t#em
an! carr% on stri$ing till success is won& Man% ostacles are of our own making, for
amitions create t#em& An% goal or aim wort# working for will entail "rolems an!
!ifficulties& T#e more we #a$e to face, as a rule, t#e greater t#e success we are #a$ing
in !irecting our li$es as we wis# t#em to go&
The cause of many a set&bac! is to be found in oneself. Instea! of laming luck,
or circumstances, look for t#e cause in %our own actions& Rearrange %our "lans, see
w#at lessons t#e set1ack can teac# %ou& T#en start again, from t#e eginning if
necessar%, using a fres# a""roac#&
'iving up too easily in the face of obstacles is the commonest of all causes of
unfinished pro#ects. An%one can "erse$ere w#en t#ings go well& T#e "eo"le of
c#aracter, t#e reall% successful "eo"le of t#e worl!, fig#t ack an! "ersist w#en t#ings
are going a!l%& T#e% !o not gi$e u" or lose ent#usiasm&
T#e o""osite of "erse$erance is "utting t#ings off till anot#er !a%& Procrastination is a
terrile waster of time& An! if we are #onest we must a!mit t#at all too often t#ings
"ut off -until circumstances are more fa$ourale. or -until I #a$e more time. often
"ro$e to e off for e$er&
Procrastination is a bad habit and can be bro!en li!e any other bad habit. "
five&stage plan should be adopted.
First, a!mit #onestl% to %ourself t#at %ou are "rocrastinating w#en %ou fin! an
a""arentl% goo! reason for "utting off some action&
(econdly, e reall% sincere in wanting to en! t#e #ait, for t#e e/cuse foun! for !ela%
ma% e a #an!% wa% of !o!ging an unwelcome +o&
Thirdly, acknowle!ge to fault to %our frien!s& T#is "ro$i!es a useful stimulus to en! it&
4our "ri!e now is in$ol$e!&
Fourthly, !o not tolerate an% e/ce"tions& Procrastination, con!one! -+ust t#is once.,
will e #ar!er to resist ne/t time&
Fifthly, kee" alwa%s in t#e forefront of %our min! t#e t#ree magical wor!s& -Do it
now&.
Anot#er form of self1!ece"tion is foun! often in a""eals to safet%1first& *eing e/tra
cautious, making asolutel% sure circumstances are fa$ourale an! so on are means
frequentl% use! of "rocrastinating, for getting out of t#e !ull +os t#at call for
"erse$erance&
T#us we see t#at t#e $aluale c#aracteristic of "ersistence ma% e acquire! % co"ing
t#e or!erliness of t#e osessional "s%c#ological t%"e, % working to a time sc#e!ule,
% forming t#e #ait of action, % !ealing a!equatel% wit# set1acks&
"bove all, persistence is the reward for obeying the command, )o it now.