Napoleon Hill, one of the first great self help gurus, thought that persistence was so important that he devoted a chapter to it in his landmark book “Think And Grow Rich.” Chapter IX refers to persistence as “The sustained effort necessary to induce faith.” He called persistence the eighth step toward riches. However, another sentence on page one of this chapter really defines how important persistence is. That sentence is: “There may be no heroic connotation to the word “persistence,” but the quality is to the character of man what carbon is to steel.” Persistence strengthens the character of a person so much that he can do whatever it takes to reach his goal or complete the task he has undertaken.
Throughout history, there have been many examples of this. Dr. Jonas Salk, who found the vaccine for polio, persisted with his research even though he failed 200 times before he found a vaccine that worked. Thomas Edison kept working at creating a light bulb even though he failed more than 10,000 times. His persistence paid off and we use his invention every night to light our homes after the sun goes down.
If you read autobiographies, you will learn that most famous and wealthy individuals failed numerous times before they were successful. Each time their persistence allowed them to gain what they were striving for. The power of persistence is that all individuals who persist long enough will eventually reach their goal. No other characteristic has that power. A persistent trickle of water running slowly over the same place on a rock for a long period of time will wear away the rock. Even though water is not as hard as stone, through persistence, water will always win. That is the power of persistence. Persistence at something will always win.
So, how can you make persistence a habit that you always use? These four little steps will create this valuable habit:
1. Have a specific goal and support it with a burning desire for fulfillment.
2. Have a definite plan you follow and take continual action on that plan.
3. Do not listen to any negative or discouraging suggestions. Also, do not let any negative occurrences dissuade you from continuing your action.
4. Find a mentor who will encourage you in your endeavors and who will push you when you slow down.
It doesn’t matter what it is you are trying to do, if you follow these four steps you will be successful in everything you do. These steps are what you can use to improve your wealth and obtain power, fame, recognition and freedom of thought. These steps will change your dreams into reality.