Perseverance - A Critical Key To Success

When we talk about skills that are important for success, some have a higher value than others.  History has shown us that perseverance is one of those that is the most significant.  Nearly every successful business was created by someone that experienced more than a few failures before that success.  That ability to get up after getting knocked down is perseverance.

Bound To Come Some Trouble

There is a song lyric about life and the struggles we will see.  There is "bound to come some trouble" in our lives no matter how we live them.  This includes almost every project we decide to take on.  I will allow that somewhere out there someone is cruising smoothly through a project.  However, I find that to be about as rare as a purple unicorn with minty fresh breath. The key to achieving success on any level is to persevere through the challenges along the way.  We should assume there will be obstacles and challenges that require blood, sweat, and even tears.  Let's face it; if our project was easy, then anyone could get it done.  Therefore, we can almost assume that the greatest reward only comes from the most significant challenges.

Too Soon

We can not always know how close we are to the finish line or at least overcoming the latest hurdle.  However, we can guarantee failure when we quit.  That finish line will never be reached when we stop running the race.  This fact can lead to tragic events in our life when we fall just a little short not due to lack of skill, but instead a lack of perseverance. Business can be a challenge when considering whether to quit or persevere.  Sometimes we are working on something that is futile.  In that case, stopping is a good choice.  We should avoid throwing good money after bad.  On the other hand, we may have a runway that needs to be just a little longer to get our business to take off.  That is a case of perseverance.

Knowing The Difference

There are volumes written on how to determine whether you have a losing idea or one that just needs more perseverance.  Unfortunately, the choice is not always clear.   For now, just consider whether stopping is a smart choice or one made due to exhaustion.  If your reason for quitting is because it is "too hard" then try to persevere.  Your reward may be right around the next corner.