The most interesting thing about a postage stamp is the persistence with which it sticks to its job. – Napoleon Hill
Developing and maintaining persistence is a critical skill to success. It is easier to relax and do nothing, or just live in our comfort zone, rather than face the uncertainty and discomfort of pursuing and working tirelessly towards our goals. For many people, particularly entrepreneurs, the idea of failure and struggle is a tough pill to swallow!
However, if you want to create change in your life and achieve success, it is essential to develop and master persistence. Here are 6 ways to help you develop persistence:
- Identify Your Needs, Wants and Desires
If you don’t know where you are going, you will probably end up somewhere else. – Lawrence J. Peter
Before you can develop persistence and eventually achieve success, you need to first identify your needs, wants or desires (Goals). You can do this by simply writing down the specific things that you want to have or accomplish. List all of your needs, wants, and desires regardless of how hard or impossible they seem to achieve at the present moment. These goals will act as a compass to help direct you and your actions to where you want to be. Writing down your needs, wants, and desires will also allow you to look back and reflect on what you really want. This will provide the motivation and encouragement needed, at times, when you have failure and setbacks; because it will happen.
- Figure Out What Your Motivation Is
Motivation comes from within, and it is the deep reason or cause of why we want to achieve or have something. If you know why you’re doing what you’re doing, it gives you more energy and conviction to keep pushing forward towards the attainment of your goals (needs, wants, and desires).
For an instance, if you want to build a successful and profitable Home Business, it takes time, energy, sacrifice, and patience. If you don’t have enough motivation, a reason why you need to build a business, you most likely will never take the actions necessary to build the business. However, if you’re motivated by the thought of having time and money freedom, as well as influencing and teaching millions of entrepreneurs, only then will you keep pushing yourself to work on building your business.
- Outline Your Action Steps (Game plan)
Identifying your needs, wants, and desires paints the picture of what you want to achieve. Determining what your motivation is shows the reasons why you want to achieve your needs, wants, an desires. Once you know your “what” and “why”, outlining your action steps is necessary to know how you will be able to achieve your goals.
When you know how to get what you want, it makes it easier to achieve, and makes it more realistic in your mind. Knowing the “how” is only part of the equation, however. You will then need to pinpoint and plan what action steps need to be done on your part to reach your goals. It is important to be very specific on each action step that you need to take. For example, “Share your business opportunity to 5 prospects per week.” This would be a very specific action step that you can do in order to grow your business. How many action steps can you think of to help quicken the growth of your business? Select them, and then get to work on them!
- Keep a Positive Mental Attitude
The road to success is not easy. In fact, it is down right challenging! This is why so few people succeed; they give up too early because they don’t believe that they can succeed. Many times it is because of the lack of a Positive Mental Attitude. There will be many times that you will stare into the eyes of defeat and failure. If you do not have a Positive Mental Attitude (PMA), you will succumb to negative thoughts, fear, and doubts of not only yourself, but of others as well. I talk about the importance of having a Positive Mental Attitude in several other posts throughout my blog.
In order to develop persistence and eventually succeed in your endeavor, it is critical to always maintain a positive mental attitude regardless of your situation. Keep your thoughts maintained on taking consistent action towards your goals. Avoid negative thoughts and feelings at all cost, because it will ruin your focus and persistence needed to achieve your goals
- Build A Mastermind Group
A Mastermind Group consists of people who can help you succeed and achieve your goal. Many times they are people that share similar goals and dreams or they can even be your mentors. Be sure to choose this group of people carefully. If possible, include only those who can give you unbiased judgments and who also has a Positive Mental Attitude. You can’t afford to waste your time and energy listening to cynical advice and pessimistic people. These types of people will not help you succeed. Instead, they will drain your energy and confidence which will eventually lead to your failure.
- Develop Discipline and Good Habits
All of your goal-setting and planning will go to waste if you don’t develop discipline and good habits.
There will be plenty of road blocks and challenges that will come your way to distract you from moving toward and achieving your goals. Without the proper discipline and habits in place to keep you focused, it will be easy for you to simply give up, or get so far off track that it will be hard for you to get back on the road to your success. Maintaining discipline and good habits can help you stay the course, even when difficulties arise!
Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment. – Jim Rohn
Persistence is a key success principle you must partake in to achieve your goals and dreams. Commit to use and learn these 6 ways to help you develop persistence and you will become unstoppable! I believe in you 
What other ways can you add to this list that will help to develop persistence?
To Your Success!
Ken Cloutier