Leaders and high achievers share many attributes, one, in particular, being persistence. They are notorious for defying the odds and accomplishing big things, which is what persistence is all about. According to Oxford Languages, persistence is defined as:

Firm or obstinate continuance in a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition.

Let’s dive a little deeper into this definition. We are all familiar with the term ‘Firm’, which means solid, stable or solidly in place. Obstinate is defined as:

Stubbornly refusing to change one’s opinion or chosen course of action, despite attempts to persuade one to do so.

After doing a deep dive into the definition of persistence, the first part really resonated with me. Persistent people pursue their dreams and desires while stubbornly refusing to be influenced by outside interference.

In other words, when a man is persistent, he is determined to accomplish his goal despite attempts from others to get him to change his mind, his opinion or course of action.

The second part of the definition talks about ‘difficulty’ and ‘opposition’. We relate difficulty to things that are hard, tough or challenging, and opposition is synonymous with resistance.

So, let’s put the whole thing together. Being persistent means that you are pushing through something that is challenging, something that is causing you discomfort, but despite what you are going through, nothing will stop you from pursuing what you are going after.  

As I was writing this, I had a vision of a man in a large body of water, swimming against the current. He was determined to get to his destination, and he was fighting the entire time. Then, something told me to Google ‘swimming against the current’.  

I discovered that in nature, fish must exert energy and swim against the current to avoid being swept downstream.

This was an eye-opening moment for me because my previous post was ‘Your Breakthrough Is on the Other Side’ where I talked about reaching a place of peace and happiness by fighting through tough times. I didn’t plan these posts in advance, I was simply writing as a way to clear my head and hopefully help others that come across this blog in the process.

Conclusion

Writing these blogs has helped me understand that I need to be careful not to get too comfortable. I’m making a good living, but it is time for me to challenge myself to do more and be more. By coasting, I am putting myself in danger of drifting into mediocrity and my whole purpose is not to be average or mediocre in anything I do.

I have started things in the past but because of my comfort level, I didn’t stick them out. I allowed outside interferences to deter me from doing something that could have helped me elevate and reach new heights.

Today, more than ever, I realize how important it is to be persistent. Go after your dreams with everything you have and understand that things will come up to discourage you, but just like the fish, you must keep pushing and fighting so your dreams aren’t swept downstream.