Perseverance: Identifying What to Fight For

Can you believe that we are just a few weeks away from ending the third quarter? If you are anything like me, the last three months have been like a whirlwind. I'm working on several major projects and the last few months have been filled with lots of work. At the same time, I have had had the opportunity to travel, spend time with friends and celebrate another milestone in my life. The third quarter has brought its share of challenges but I have allowed my challenges to serve as a catalyst for growth and advancement. I want to share some insights with you about pereverance and why it is so important in helping you determine what to prioritize in your life. This is a must-read and I know you are going to get massive value from this piece!

1. You need to debunk the myth that perseverance means to simply keep going. Over the years, I have had the pleasure of meeting so many people and having some very intriguing conversations. When it comes to perseverance, I am not sure that many people really understand what this word means. Many people have reduced perseverance to the ability to keep going. However, perseverance is much more than that overlysimplied definition. In fact, I have had some instances in my life where I did not need to keep going. I needed to make mid-course adjustments to my life if I wanted to gain momentum and see manifestation. Part of being persistent is knowing what to embrace and also mastering what to let go of. Personally, I believe that failure is persisting in things that do not move your life forward and ultimately undermine the seed of your potential.

2. You need to understand what perseverance is. Now that we have established what perseverance is not I think it is a good time to define exactly what perseverance is. Perseverance is a mental resolution and inner fortitude that refuses to stop short of progress, breakthroughs and results. In other words, perseverance is a relentless spirit that will not let you settle for a second class life. This means that perseverance requires the engagement of your mind and the cooperation of your will. If you do not engage the mind and get the cooperation of the will, then you will continue to create cycles of frustration and failure in your life. Perseverance is more than determination. Perseverance is being unwilling to budge when it comes to living the lif you were born for. Perseverance is a refusal to quit and a nonnegotiable decision to never settle for less than you deserve in any area of your life. Perseverance is a combination of courage and conviction that is willing to contend however long it takes to see change manifest in your life.

3. In order to persevere you have to raise your standards. As you know, my life and work are respected by people all around the world. Almost daily I am asked for the secret to my success. While my answer varies depending on the day, I truly believe that refusing to settle and defining my own standards is what has contributed to my success. What do I mean by defning my own standards? I have refused to dumbdown my dreams to feed the doubts and insecurities of those that have given up on their dreams. In addition, I have had the audacity to forge my own path and to stay in my own lane. I have not concerned myself with what is happening in the lanes around me. Instead I have been very focused on running my race and living my life by design. After all, if you do not define your own standards you will live in the shadows of someone else's expectations for your life. Your standards determine what you aim for, what you align with and ultimately who you associate with. Low standards will never produce a higher life.

4. Perseverance cannot be developed until you find your 'why.' Many people look at my life today and assume that my life has been easy. I have even had people tell me that I have not faced adversity and that I do not know anything about failure. When I hear people say these things, I do not get upset or rush to defend myself. Instead I take a moment to pause and I laugh hysterically. If you have read my autobiography, then you know I have faced adversity at every stage of my life. Many people say that I make success look easy. However, they are speaking from an edited verision of my life and making assumptions based on highlight reels. Unless you get a panoramic view of my life, then you will never understand the storms I have faced, the battles I have had to fight and the adversity thta I have had to overcome. The only reason I am still standing today is by the grace of God and because I have lived with a strong enough 'why.' I often say that. a strong enough 'why' will empower you to overcome anything that would attempt to withstand you in life. You cannot persevere until you have first identified what is worth fighting for in your life. As you get older, you realize that energy is not infinite. Thererefore, instead of wasting energy on things that do not improve or enhance your life, you start to take calculated risks and make empowered decisions. You realize that you must move through life with intention and only give your attention to the things that really matter. Ultimately, what I am trying to say is that perseverence will require you to prioritize your life. What is important to you? What do you value? What are you willing to sacrifice for? A person with nothing to value will live dominated by vices, impulses and desires.