Some people might say that I’m the last person who should be writing about this topic, because - and I’ll let you in on a little secret about me: I’m probably the worst embodiment of perseverance out of anyone I know. What gives me the audacity, the nerve, to write about a quality of which I probably possess the least? Because I understand the concept of perseverance, and that is all that matters. Although I may fail to persevere time after time again, I have learned to value and think about perseverance more than anyone else, ’tis such a rare quality for me.
My first brush with perseverance came on my Freshman track team in High School. I was an overweight, out of shape teenager who up to that point didn’t believe that I could run for long distances. My mile times had always fallen somewhere between downright mediocre to atrocious. I was even scared to try soccer, as I didn’t think I could handle the running involved. While I never would have summoned the courage to join the track team myself (track? what chance did I have at track if I was scared to play soccer?), I was blessed to have a group of close friends who encouraged me to join them, and as a group, go through the track season together. What could I do? I was a teenager, and the pull of a peer group was very strong at that age…
I joined. I still remember the first day - not because of how great it felt to make it through practice but because of how much it hurt. In retrospect, I’m seriously lucky I didn’t hurt myself and ruin my season, I was so out of shape. The days after weren’t much better. In fact, the entire first month wasn’t easy. But my friends and I persevered, and I started to build the confidence and strength in my muscles to get better and better. I can’t say that I had the most perseverance - in fact I probably had the least among my friends. I wanted to give up so many times but my friends would always push me. If they could do it, then why couldn’t I? I knew that even though my tolerance for pain was less than their’s was, their perseverance was something to emulate and strive to match. One of my friends seemed to have a limitless source of emotional strength, of which he, being the good friend and helpful person that he is, would share with me. I made it through the season and by the end, I was confident and in the best shape of my life. If I had given up early and listened to my body (which wanted to quit many times), I would never have pushed through and emerged stronger.
The lack of some natural trait or skill is a bad excuse to not value that quality. Whether you seem to naturally lack faith, intelligence, or some kind of skill or talent,if your goal requires you to do something that you are not naturally good at, you have to suck it up and do whatever it takes. That’s what building character is all about - doing the hard things that don’t come easily to us. It’s easy to do what we’re naturally good at, but those who are great are the ones who work on their weaknesses and do whatever is necessary to reach their goals.
Do I still lack perseverance? Somewhat. I’ve built and developed sources of emotional strength, which I draw on when I need to persevere. And even though I still fail and give up too easily, I at least know what I need to do and what I should do in order to succeed. There are no excuses when it comes to success. Winners do what it takes.