Practicing Persistence to Reach Your Goals

“Patience, persistence and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success.” ~Napolean Hill

Why is it important to persevere? How can you persist against all odds?

One of my clients was devastated to learn her love interest and the father of her baby cheated on her. During one of their arguments, he also hit her. It was not the only trauma she experienced in her life, but she was determined and persistent to regain her power and self-confidence from this heartbreaking betrayal.

As I worked with this client on healing her self-esteem, she bounced back. Eventually, she broke up with her partner. That enraged him and he started showing up unannounced like a stalker. Brave as she was, she went to court and got a restraining order. He finally stopped his bad behavior and left her alone.

My client didn’t stop exercising her new-found self-confidence there, though. A mom of three, she bought her first home and moved her baby and two other children into their bigger residence which upleveled her life. Shortly thereafter she met a new partner who became a supportive friend. It was amazing to witness her resilience!

Researchers from Psychology Today measured persistence in individuals from a self-reported questionnaire. Participants answered how aligned certain statements were with their behavior. The findings revealed that those who exhibited high levels of persistence, also called “grit,” experienced greater mental health, lower anxiety and greater life satisfaction.

Here are six practices that can boost perseverance:

Vision – Be as clear as you can about what you want to accomplish and write it down. This practice creates a blueprint that you can rehearse. The subconscious mind responds to your direction and repetition. Thomas Edison had a vision for electricity that pulled him through thousands of experiments until he developed the electric light bulb.

Start – When you feel the inspiration to accomplish a dream – begin it! The first step is sometimes the hardest because you’re venturing into the unknown which is uncomfortable. However, as you ride the wave of your enthusiasm, you’ll have the lightness of energy to help you gain momentum toward your goal.

Routine – Having a routine that includes your vision and builds daily habits that support your health, vocation, relationships, and finances provides balance and structure – like walking on your lunch break to get your daily steps.

Reinforcement – As you persist toward your vision, you will gain feedback. It’s important to see all of your progress as feedback and positive forward movement. Revise what doesn’t work and keep going. Give yourself a reward for trying. For instance, if your dream is to own your own business, you could buy yourself a small gift every time you take steps toward entrepreneurship. Rewards help you fall in love with the journey!

Affirmations – You can create affirmations that support goal achievement with present tense, positive statements like “success.” Practice affirming and feeling the realization of your desire daily. This tells your mind that you already have it because the subconscious is literal.

Growth mindset – There may be times when there is no evidence that you are achieving your vision. However, having a growth mindset means you surrender the when and how your vision will come about, detaching from the outcome. Detaching and surrendering helps speed up your goal realization because you’re not clinging to it in your energy but rather allowing it to unfold organically. It’s like the saying, “a watched pot never boils.”

Persist in living from your wish fulfilled – it’s yours!