Persistence is a learned trait , which also means that it ' s a choice . There are those who choose to give up and settle for less because things become tough for them , but persistent people choose to believe in themselves , their dreams and visions . They keep on pushing harder until they reach their desired goals . More often than not , their efforts are rewarded because the end result is always a great success .
The most common mistake that many of us make is giving up any time defeat rears its ugly head . Many individuals have halted and aborted their dreams and visions because they tried and failed . Yet it ' s very normal for one to fail before they succeed . Temporary defeat , and sometimes failure , do come in a man ' s life and in most cases , some cave in and surrender . But what we need to understand is that some of the greatest success stories were recorded after defeat had overtaken those involved . Failure doesn ' t mean that you are doing the wrong thing or that your project won ' t work , it simply means , as Thomas Edison believed , ' you found one more way it didn ’ t work . But that means you are one step closer to achieving your desired goal '. In Napoleon Hill ' s words ; Failure is a trickster with a keen sense of irony and cunning , it takes great delight in tripping one when success is almost within reach .
Giving up is not an option for those who wish to make it in life . Why should you even start something if you will only end up quitting ? The true mark of champions is persevering even in the most difficult situations . Achievers do not know when to quit ; impossibilities do not exist in their vocabularies . They push themselves beyond limits until they get a hold of their goals . Others get discouraged by their fellowmen , yet they choose to persevere . A true winner of life does not pay attention to unnecessary noise ; they focus on where they are going and push themselves until they reach there . Persistence is one thing that separates winners from losers . If you make up your mind to accomplish something and focus on that direction , refusing to be deterred , you will get whatever you are after . the children eat all they want ,” he told her , “ for it is not right to take the children ’ s bread and toss it to the dogs .” “ Lord ,” she replied , “ even the dogs under the table eat the children ’ s crumbs .” Then he told her , “ For such a reply , you may go ; the demon has left your daughter .” She went home and found her child lying on the bed , and the demon gone . ~ Mark 7:24-30 NIV
This part of the scripture is one of the many that clearly portrays the power of persistence in the Bible . This woman pleaded continuously with Jesus to heal her daughter even when He tried to turn down her request . Few people would have continued praying after the first rejection , but she refused to give up . Needless to say , Jesus granted her request . What about the widow in the book of Luke 18:1-8 , and Elijah , who prayed persistently until he saw results ? Nothing can possibly stand against a persistent person . It may sound simple , but it ' s deep . It demands sacrifice and unwavering determination until victory is achieved . It has made champions out of many , and continues to do so .
Brian Tracy in his book ‘ The power of selfdiscipline ’ says ; “ Before you can achieve anything worthwhile in life , you have to pass “ the persistence test .” This is usually a “ snap quiz ” sprung on you unexpectedly with no warning . You suddenly face a major setback , problem , temporary failure , or even a complete disaster . When this happens , remind yourself that this is the “ testing time .” This is when you demonstrate what you are really made of . This is when you show yourself and others the strength of your character and your true determination to succeed .”
Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre . He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it ; yet he could not keep his presence secret . In fact , as soon as she heard about him , a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an impure spirit came and fell at his feet . The woman was a Greek , born in Syrian Phoenicia . She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter . “ First let
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