Persistence

Persistence is the ‘secret’ ingredient that separates the successful from the unsuccessful.


If you want to get a nudge on persistence, check out the book of Ecclesiastes in your bible.

Ecclesiastes 9:11“I have observed something else under the sun. The fastest runner doesn’t always win the race, and the strongest warrior doesn’t always win the battle. The wise sometimes go hungry, and the skillful are not necessarily wealthy. And those who are educated don’t always lead successful lives. It is all decided by chance, by being in the right place at the right time.”*

The story of the Tortoise and the Hare is about persistence. The Hare is all flash. “I’m going to win! I’m the fastest!” It is the Tortoise, moving slowly and steadily, who wins.

In the book “The Millionaire Next Door” the author discovered that the millionaires are often the quiet ones who don’t stand out much that are most secure in their finances. The ones in the fancy neighborhoods with the exotic cars and exciting lives were more often than not leaning on their parents for support or getting themselves deeply in debt.

There are the starving artists, the wise people who share their wisdom quietly, and the life-long college student who has numerous degrees but no security.

Being in the right place at the right time is a state of mind. Do you tell yourself “I’m always in the right place at the right time?” Or do you look around at other people and say “They are lucky. I’m not.”

Switch the message if you tell yourself the one that you don’t want. You can create your reality to be in the right place at the right time.

If this is a struggle for you, then at the end of every day, write down five to ten incidents of when you were at the right place at the right time. For ANYTHING, even the most boring basic thing. Start looking for it.

What you put your attention to expands. What are you putting your attention to?


Ecclesiastes 11:4“Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant. If they watch every cloud, they never harvest.”

Don’t worry about doing things perfectly. Just do them. Don’t wait for the perfect conditions to start, just start. Start now. With focused action.


Focused Action.

If you want to write a book, but you don’t consistently put pen to paper, how will you get a book?


Focused Action.

It may take years to find the right action. Be patient with yourself.


It’s persistence.

Some call it The Law of Right Action. It works together with The Law of Attraction.


Your life doesn’t have to be perfect to get started. You don’t even have to have the perfect conditions.


In fact, you are more likely to have success if you start with imperfect conditions.
Remember the story of Chris Gardner. He didn’t have a home. He had a son to take care of.

They had to sleep in subway bathrooms. They didn’t have any advantages. Talk about imperfect conditions!

Start, even though you might have the ‘wrong’ conditions to get started. Maybe you don’t have the right knowledge. So do things imperfectly, but do your best.

You will succeed.

Sources*Hope for Today Bible. New Living Translation.The Millionaire Next Door. Stanley and Danko. 1996. Pocket Books. Leave Persistence and Go Home