Persistence - Top Three Benefits

One of the PRINCIPAL keys to success in life is both simple and difficult - persistence.

When I first arrived on the mission field I was told three things:

• You are a liability during your first five years (that's because there is so much to learn and adapt to).
• A large percentage of missionaries do not last their first five years.
• If you managed to stay over five years you automatically (by default) became an "anciana" - (that's an elder or leader, not an ancient one :)

In other words: If you persist, you will achieve success.

As you look into the lives of those men and women we have come to recognize as "great", you will find one key ingredient. They ALL persisted in the face of incredible odds.

For example, Helen Keller said:

We can do anything we want as long as we stick to it long enough. 

Her life most certainly demonstrated this! She was the first deaf blind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts Degree. How much persistence do you think it took her to achieve that?

Helen Keller's life demonstrates that nothing is impossible
for those who will not give up.

Or how about this man who spent his life pushing against the tide of society:

That which we persist in doing becomes easier, not that the task itself has become easier, but that our ability to perform it has improved.  -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

And I have kept one of the best for the last:

Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.
-- Thomas Edison

If anyone has a right to make this statement it is Thomas Edison. We enjoy the fruits of his labors in our daily lives without even thinking about it.

Every time you turn on that light, stop and remember:
I can enjoy light in my room today because Thomas Edison persisted until he triumphed even though it took him 9,999 attempts!

Now make a commitment to yourself and to your dream:

I too will persist until I achieve my dreams. If they could I can and will!

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