My Personal Experience with Persistence: Understanding Its Importance and Challenges
Hello everyone, it’s Shan Mei here—welcome back!
Last week was a bit rough as I ended up catching Covid. It’s kind of ironic; I dodged it all through the pandemic, and just when cases have become rare, I find myself down with it. It really shows how during the pandemic, wearing masks and following other precautions helped us stay healthy. Now that people have relaxed these measures, here I am, caught the virus from someone walking around maskless. A gentle reminder: if you’re sick, please keep your mask on to protect others!
Due to some intense headaches and weakness, I’ve had to take a break from the blog, which is why this post is coming to you later than usual.
In this blog, we’re diving deeper into “persistence”—a topic I touched on in my first blog. No worries if you haven’t read that one; you’ll catch up just fine here.
Persistence, as defined by the Britannica Dictionary, is the quality that allows someone to continue doing something or trying to do something even though it is difficult or opposed by other people. It’s undoubtedly a key to success in various aspects of life. In my previous post, I shared my struggles with staying persistent in writing. Starting a story is always exciting for me, fueled by the passion for creating new characters, settings, and plotlines. However, the real challenge begins when it’s time to turn these initial sparks into a complete novel. The tasks of developing a coherent narrative, managing the pacing, and adding depth to the details are not only time-consuming but also complex. My discipline often wavers at this stage, particularly when new ideas pop up and distract me from my ongoing project.
Did you know that J.K. Rowling dedicated 17 years to writing the Harry Potter series?
She took five years to craft the wizarding world, develop intricate plotlines, and shape her characters. Remarkably, she managed to write the first book while caring for her baby daughter. Such incredible time management, self-discipline, and persistence! Rowling also faced numerous rejections from publishers; No one believed in the potential of a single mom’s fantasy novel. Despite these challenges, she persisted and eventually found a publisher launching her to become one of the most successful authors in history!
This lack of persistence isn’t just in my writing. It shows up in other areas of my life too—my mom calls it my “3-minute heat,” which pretty much means my enthusiasm burns bright and fizzles out quickly.
Do you relate to my experience? Share your story!
The Importance of Persistence
Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan “Press On!” has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.
—Quote by Calvin Coolidge
Persistence is vital in every aspect of life, regardless of the goals you set or the success you aim to achieve. When progress feels slow, outcomes seem uncertain, or setbacks occur, persistence helps build resilience. It teaches you to adapt and continue pushing through challenging circumstances.
Take Thomas Edison, for example. His approach to inventing the light bulb was to see each failure as a step closer to success. He famously remarked, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” If he had given up, the light bulb as we know it might not exist.
If I were persistent, I could finish my novels! I’m not even talking about judging their quality, but just completing them—with a beginning, middle, and end—would be a huge achievement.
Why is it so difficult to be persistent?
From my experience, several factors make persistence challenging. One factor, as I mentioned earlier, is the challenge of developing a story. The difficulty in fleshing out the narrative can lead to discouragement and self-doubt, making it hard to push forward.
Another reason is the lack of immediate results. Many goals, such as writing, require long-term effort, and the results are not always immediately visible. This delay can diminish motivation and make it tempting to give up or shift focus to something with quicker rewards For example, watching a short video on TikTok can provide instant laughter and satisfaction in under a minute.
Additionally, various distractions and responsibilities pull my attention away. While writing novels is a passion of mine, it’s not my only one—I have many interests competing for my time. Sometimes, there simply doesn’t seem to be enough time to pursue everything I want.
Despite these challenges, these reasons are not excuses to remain impersistent. Recognizing this weakness, I know I must strive to overcome this trait to better myself......
Thanks for sticking with me through these reflections on persistence. Do you think persistence is important too? Are you persistent, or do you find yourself struggling like I do? If you’re thinking about fostering this trait, stay tuned—I plan to share practical tips for nurturing persistence in upcoming posts.
Let’s get better together!
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