The Power of Perseverance

Albert Einstein said, "It's not that I am so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer."

When I was a school boy, homework in mathematics used to bug me. I used to feel frustrated at not being able to solve some of the problems. If homework was not done fully, some of the teachers awarded severe punishments including caning that led to humiliation in the class. When I moved to college, there were no punishments and the fear was gone. With perseverance, I had learnt how to solve the problems. The result was that my grades improved significantly and I received merit scholarships on three occasions.

The power of perseverance is really great. In life, everyone gets discouraged once in a while. It is perfectly normal.

We all have our setbacks. But, at the very point where we give up trying, there is a fine line between the winners and losers. The losers quit. The winners persevere.

I love to give the example of one great man. His biography reads like this:

Age 22 - Failed in business; Age 23 - Defeated for the legislature; Age 24 - Again failed in business; Age 25 - Elected to the legislature; Age 26 - Sweetheart died; Age 27 - Suffered nervous breakdown; Age 29 - Defeated for Speaker; Age 34 - Defeated for Congress; Age 37 - Elected for Congress; Age 39 - Defeated for Congress; Age 46 - Defeated for Senate; Age 47- Defeated for Vice President; Age 49 Defeated for Senate; Age 51- Elected President of the United States.

Looks like a roller coaster ride of failures and successes? Can you guess whose biography is this? The man's name was Abraham Lincoln.

There are many such stories illustrating the power of perseverance. If you want to witness perseverance, take a look at a baby trying to stand up. Read the biographies of some great people like Thomas Alva Edison, Helen Keller, Mahatma Gandhi, and Vivekananda. All of them faced adversities in life but held on to succeed in what they believed in.

Here are some suggestions to lead you on the path to perseverance.

* Face and accept what happens in your life.
* Learn from your experiences, including the failures.
* Express your feelings to someone you love.
* Write about your feelings, like in a diary.
* Get help if you need it from a mentor.
* Pray to God "Give me courage, give me strength."

You win some; you lose some. Never despair, keep pushing on! You have got to realize there is plenty of power in perseverance and it works.