PERSISTENCE: THE SECRET TO LASTING SUCCESS.

I'm sure you have heard so much about the powerful word 'Persistence', and you are wondering why this word has been so much talked about by successful people. The truth is that you can't get to the peak of your career without this virtue. It is an unavoidable tool in the race of life.

Now I've got a little activity for you to do and this will broaden your understanding on this subject. Take up the biography of five or more successful people, read them carefully and you will see the way persistence was demonstrated in the pursuit of a successful life and career. Life as they say, is not a bed of roses. There will be up's and down's, there will be challenges but your ability to foresee your success and keep pressing on will guarantee your victory. I've always said this and i will repeat it again here that any process worth going through will get tougher before it gets easier and the only virtue that will keep you through those rocky times is persistence.

Persistence is not an in-born trait, rather it is a state of mind, meaning that it is a virtue that can be formed. History has it that Andrew Carnegie, Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Ray Kroc, Abraham Lincoln, Mary Kay Ash, Andy Groove among others were successful people who developed this virtue and it showed extensively in their various businesses and careers. There is a story of a journalist who asked the founder of IBM what he would do if he wanted to succeed faster, and he told the curious journalist to double his rate of failure because success lies at the far end of failures. What does that tell you friends? There is no substitute for persistence in the pursuit of a successful life. 

Now i'm writing to someone who is at the point of giving up in his/her academics, business or career, there is great success ahead of you only if you could just continue with a burning desire to accomplish that which you have set out to do. See yourself as a person who owns a large piece of landed property blessed with gold, you have to dig deeper and deeper until you strike that precious element Gold.

Outlined below are 4 guidelines necessary to assist you in developing the virtue of Persistence.

1. Have a definite purpose backed up with a burning desire.

2. Have a strong willpower to win.

3. Draw out a definite plan and continue to work that plan

4. Keep a positive attitude.

In the movie "The ultimate gift", one of the precious lesson i learnt and has continued to remain with me is that life should be lived not on avoiding problems but welcoming them as challenges that will strengthen us so we can be victorious in life; and persistence is the secret to achieve victory and success after the season of challenges.