The Bright Times

"Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'press on' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race." Calvin Coolidge

Research has proved that success begins with goal setting. It is all very well setting yourself goals, but if you are not going to be persistent in your pursuit of the goal, then setting the goal is no more than making a wish.

Often those who are not successful resent those who are successful. Sometimes the unsuccessful believe that the successful are just lucky and that somehow success was handed to the successful. What the unsuccessful fail to realise is that the reverse is actually true. Those who have achieved more have usually worked much HARDER than those who are not successful. When questioned, most of the unsuccessful people will provide excuses for their lack of achievement. I find that with many of the people I speak to who complain about their lack of success simply haven't persevered and been tenacious. Yes, there are exceptions on both sides, but I find this to be almost universally true.If you find yourself dreaming of a better life, or looking at someone who "has it made," take a long, hard look inside yourself to reveal whether or not you have actually been persistently in pursuit of your dreams. How long have you tried for? Many people who achieve try for years before they achieve what their hearts long for. How hard have you tried? Most people who achieve much have sacrificed much. What would you be prepared to give up in order to achieve your goals?Here are five tips for being persistent, to get you (and keep you) going!

1. Make the commitment to reach your goal.
"One person with a commitment is worth a hundred who only have an interest." Mary Crowley.
Commit yourself to achieve the goals you have set for yourself and to detailed accountability. Record your progress toward your goals at the end of each day, and then list the five most important things you need to do the next day. Before doing a task that is not on your list ask yourself if completing the task will move you towards or away from your goal. If the answer is not toward the goal then if at all possible don’t do it. Persisting in daily discipline is the one of the keys to reaching your goals.

2. Keep trying.
"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on." Franklin Roosevelt
In my experience many people start on their dreams but most never finish. Those who stop often resent those who continue and eventually make it. The truth is that most successful people have simply mastered the art of persistence. It is easy to get disheartened and give up. Ask any successful person if they ever got disheartened and felt like quitting and you will find that almost unanimously they all have felt like giving it all up, even when very close to success. Try it for yourself – ask the most successful person you know if they ever thought about quitting, and how they kept going. You will be amazed at what you hear.
3. Welcome the pressure.
"Diamonds are nothing more than chunks of coal that stuck to their jobs." Malcolm ForbesCoal, when placed under incredible pressure, is turned into one of earth's most beautiful and precious possessions. Ugly, dirty old coal is transformed into desirable diamonds. Instead of looking at pressure as the reason to give up, employ persistence and tenacity and see pressure as the very thing that will make your life the beautiful thing that you desire it to be. View it as your opportunity to grow and learn. Let it transform you. See the challenges that put you under pressure as the fuel that will empower you to have achieve your goals.
4. Hang on to the end.
“Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” Thomas Edison
Many people have given up just as they would have begun their entrance into success. Of course there are those who quit at the first sign of hard work. And then there are those who, after the hundredth time of trial give up, just as success was around the next corner. There are those who reach the last fence and decide not to jump. The human being hits psychological lows two or three times a year, and wants to quit for no reason at all. So what does this mean for you? How will you know if this is the last hurdle before the winning line? Of course you won’t if you never jump the hurdle.
5. Make the right choices.

"Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it." Helen Keller
We all face challenges every day. Life is hard and sometimes you will want to give up. You have to make a choice. Will you quit or persist? Will you be content with what you have now or will you continue to strive to reach your goal? The choice that you make will determine the rest of your life. By being persistent you become a stronger person and are one step closer to achieving your goals. On the other hand, in many cases our attitude at the time of quitting is setting us up for almost certain failure in whatever we do next.

By Business and Life Coach Penelope Brudenell-Pryke

DON’T QUIT
(Unknown)

When things go wrong as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill.
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile but you have to sigh.
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As everyone of us sometimes learns.
And many a fellow turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out.
Don't give up though the pace seems slow,
You may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than
It seems to a faint and faltering man.
Often the struggler has given up,
When he might have captured the victor's cup.
And he learned too late when the night came down,
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out,
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt.
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems afar.
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit,
It's when things seem worst that you mustn't quit.