There have been many great product concepts and business ideas over the years that never even got to
the planning stage. Wonder why?
LACK OF PERSISTENCE is one of the most common causes of failure in business. With this in mind, do you have what it takes to achieve your goals in life?
As Napoleon Hill taught us in his Principles of Success, you must possess two critical elements to achieve your goals: 1.) A burning desire to achieve success, and 2.) The habit of persistence.
While this may sound simple at the outset, it actually takes a person of immense fortitude to remain on course to achieve success in life. Even if you have a “burning desire”, you must also have the perseverance, the persistence, to continue on despite the difficulties and setbacks you will likely encounter along the way.
Take Henry Ford for example – despite numerous challenges and people who said, “That’s impossible,” he was well known for following through on the plans he developed with a habit of persistence. However, unlike Ford, most people give up when faced with obstacles. Many have a common weakness called “lack of persistence”, which can actually be overcome with concerted effort and ongoing practice.
People who continue toward their goals despite obstacles are often met with huge success. Such persistence and the resulting potential for success has been proven by well-known people with names such as Rockefeller, Ford, Carnegie, and Edison, just to name a few…
The good news is that we all have the capacity for greatness, if we follow the principles of success with a strong habit of persistence.
“No one is ever defeated until defeat has been accepted as a reality.” – Napoleon Hill
As Napoleon Hill explained it:
- Persistence is the sustained effort necessary to induce faith.
- Persistence is an essential factor in the procedure of transmuting desire into its monetary equivalent.
- The basis of persistence is the power of will.
- The majority of people are ready to throw their aims and purposes overboard, and give up, at the first sign of opposition or misfortune.
- The building of a fortune, generally, involves the application of the entire thirteen Success Principles of this philosophy. These principles must be understood – and they must be applied with persistence.
So, can you guess what destroys most ideas before they ever reach the planning and action stage?
It is the FEAR of criticism…
“Many times people fail to commit themselves because the fear of criticism is stronger than the desire for success.” – Napoleon Hill
Can you believe that? Can you imagine letting someone’s critical comments stop you from achieving your goals? Well, it happens all the time. If you are not aware of this fact, your plans could be quickly cast aside because someone simply said, “That’s impossible”, or “You’re dreaming…”
Think of where we’d be today if Edison’s critics had been stronger than his own persistence. Instead, he had the power of WILL to achieve success. (Thank goodness, or we might still be in the dark – literally!)
Fear is the worst enemy of success – but, it can be cured effectively by forced repetition of acts of courage:
- Aristotle believed courage to be the most important quality in man. “Courage is the first of human virtues because it makes all others possible,” he wrote.
- The good news: We can train our minds to act more courageously in everyday life.
- Recent research has shown that by coping with risk and uncertainty, we can make ourselves more courageous and less fearful:
- – Acknowledge your fears and expose yourself to them to reduce or eliminate their grip on your life.
- – With practice and effort, you too can cultivate courage and eliminate fear
- – As Aristotle wrote, “You will never do anything in this world without courage.”
Somewhere along the line your dreams WILL be challenged – you can count on it. But, you must remain persistent in your dreams of success.
The good news is that because persistence is a state of mind, it can be cultivated. This is HUGE because you, too, can learn to develop this critical attribute of success.
“Fortunes gravitate toward people whose minds have been prepared to attract them, just as surely as water gravitates to the ocean.” – Napoleon Hill
As Hill stated:
- Lack of persistence is a weakness common to the majority of people. It is a weakness that may be overcome by effort. The ease with which this may be conquered will depend entirely upon the intensity of one’s desire.
- The starting point of all achievement is desire. If you find yourself lacking in persistence, this weakness may be remedied by building a stronger fire under your desires.
- Follow the instructions regarding autosuggestion to create a clear picture of the object you desire.
- To get results, you must apply all of the rules until their application becomes a fixed habit in you. Intermittent effort will not produce the desired results.
- Be aware of your thoughts: Poverty consciousness will voluntarily seize the mind which is not occupied with money consciousness.
“Without persistence, you will be defeated. With persistence you will win.”
“It appears that there is a ‘hidden guide’ that lets no one enjoy great achievement without passing the persistence test.” – Napoleon Hill
Persistence is a state of mind based upon the following causes. As you review these, take inventory of yourself. Which of these eight factors of persistence do you lack?
- Definiteness of purpose
- Desire
- Self-reliance
- Definiteness of plans
- Accurate knowledge
- Cooperation
- Will power
- Habit
Do you have a few areas requiring work? Master the following to eliminate weakness and achieve full success in your personal and professional life:
- Recognize and define clearly exactly what you want.
- Be decisive and eliminate procrastination.
- Create definite plans to solve problems.
- Do not be indifferent or self-satisfied; always search for better.
- Accept blame when appropriate.
- Remain strong in your desire for success; do not quit at the first signs of defeat.
- Have an organized plan, placed in writing.
- Be ready to move forward on ideas and grasp opportunity when it presents itself.
- Be ambitious; cultivate a desire to be, to do, to own.
- Do not search for shortcuts to riches.
- Do not fear criticism. Be willing to create plans and put them into action regardless of what other people will think, do or say.
- Use the power of your will, not the power of “wishing”.
“Many people believe that material success is the result of favorable ‘breaks.’ The only ‘break’ anyone can afford to rely upon is a self-made ‘break.’ These come through the application of persistence, the starting point of which is definiteness of purpose.” – Napoleon Hill
As promised, here are your FOUR STEPS to develop the habit of Persistence:
- Develop a definite purpose backed by burning desire for its fulfillment.
- Create a definite plan in writing, expressed in continuous action.
- Cultivate a positive mindset, which is closed tightly to all negative and discouraging influences, including negative suggestions of relatives, friends, and other critics
- Foster a friendly alliance with one or more persons who will encourage you to follow through with both your plan and purpose.
The entire purpose of Napoleon Hill’s 13 principles of success is to help people make a habit of these four steps. Learn and apply them in your life and watch what you can achieve!
Remember – “Riches do not respond to wishes. They respond only to definite plans, backed by definite desires, through constant persistence.”
Without persistence, you will be defeated before you even begin! So, what steps will you take today to create a habit of persistence? How will you achieve your greatest success?
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