Determination, Diligence And Perseverance
There are three mindsets successful people have that enable them to use every failure as a learning experience and a stepping to future success.
1. Determination
Determination simply means coming to the point of certain decision. No wavering, no maybes, but a definitive decision. For example:
• I will write a book.
• I will start a business.
• I will get a degree.
• I will be a professional golfer.
• I will become a millionaire.
• I will double my business profits next year.
• I will buy my first investment property.
• I will launch my own website.Unfortunately many people are not good at making decisions. Even fewer people make absolute certain decisions and follow through. This is a very important mental state to get into if you want to succeed. Be decisive and be determined that nothing can stop you.
2. Diligence
Diligence is the persistent exertion of body or mind to achieve the decision you have made.
Above all, you much be persistent. Give your project high energy and give it momentum. Diligence is often used interchangeably with hard work. It means sometimes starting early and working late. It means concentrating while everyone else is slacking off. It means working to achieve your goal while everyone else is on vacation. It means doing five hours preparation when everyone else is doing one hour.
When I was studying for my honours degree, my certain decision was to achieve first class honours and get no less than A for each of the six papers I had to sit. For nearly a year my car was the first student car in the car park every morning and the last to leave. When everyone else was on Easter break, I was studying. I made sure every assignment was the best I could make it. And I achieved my goal.
I have a friend David Pierce who heads up an amazing international missionary organization www.steiger.org. God uses David in incredible ways in unbelievable places. I heard David talking once about Bible studies he did for his kids when they were in high school. There were his two boys and two or three others – so five kids for a 45 minute after school Bible study. David did six hours preparation for each of those little studies, praying, seeking God, studying! He was diligent with the task at hand, and no wonder he now has a powerful international ministry. I sometimes wonder if human beings are designed specifically so that only those who diligently persevere achieve great things.
I like what author Stephen King said:
“Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work.”
And what famous Basketball player Magic Johnson said:
"Talent is never enough. With few exceptions the best players are the hardest workers."
3. Perseverance
Perseverance is simply a granite-hard resolution that no matter what, you won’t quit or give up or turn aside from the course you have set or the goal you are pursuing. If you set your mind that nothing will stop you – nothing will!
Sadly most people give up at this very step. You might set the right goal, have the right environment and have a sure recipe for success, but if you don’t have perseverance you will not succeed. Why? Because life is designed to give us hurdles and challenges and obstacles. Not only that but the bigger the goal, the greater the challenges. I sometimes wonder whether God made the world like that on purpose so when we achieve our goals He can say “Ah so you really did mean it! Here are the blessings that come from your perseverance!”
I can’t emphasize strongly enough how important this is. The great inventions, the great strides in progress, the great leaps in human understanding have been born out of perseverance.
Critical Principle 9: Perseverance is the mother of achievement.
Let’s look at some examples:
Walt Disney
It is reported that Walt Disney was declined by 302 banks for financing Disneyland. I have written on my wall “Walt Disney was turned down 302 times in persevering with his dream. How many times am I willing to be knocked back to achieve my dreams?”
“The difference in winning and losing is most often, not quitting.”
Walt DisneySoichiro Honda
Soichiro Honda applied for an engineering job with Toyota after World War Two, but was turned down. He was unemployed until his neighbors starting buying his “home- made scooters”. He went on to start his own company – Honda.
Colonel Sanders
Colonel Sanders reportedly tried to sell his fried chicken recipe over 1,000 times before he found a buyer! Seven years later he sold his company for $15 million.
How many doors will you knock on?
Stephen J Cannell
Stephen Cannell was one of the most successful writers and producers in TV with shows like 21 Jump Street, The A Team, Wiseguy etc.
However he failed badly in school because he was dyslexic. Before he had sold one story, Stephen Cannell wrote for five hours a day, seven days a week for five years. That is a total of 9,100 hours of writing before he sold one story. No wonder he was so successful.
Imagine what you could achieve if you spent five hours a day, seven days a week for five years focussing on your one passion! The whole world could hardly contain your success!
John D Rockefeller
Adjusting for inflation, John D Rockefeller is often regarded as the richest person in history.
"I do not think there is any other quality so essential to success of any kind as the quality of perseverance. It overcomes almost everything, even nature."
John D. RockefellerAuthor “Failures”
John Grisham’s first novel was rejected by 16 agents and 12 publishers.
Stephen King’s first novel was rejected by dozens of publishers.
J K Rowling’s first Harry Potter book was rejected by more than 10 publishers.
William Golding’s classic “Lord of the Flies” was rejected by 20 publishers.
Robert M Pirsig’s book “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance” was rejected by 121 publishers.
It has gone on to sell millions of copies in 27 languages.
Chicken Soup for the Soul was rejected over 130 times. Now the “Chicken Soup” series has sold more than 80 million copies.
The British mystery author John Creasey received 743 rejections from publishers before he was finally published. That is the equivalent of one rejection letter a week for over 14 years! You just know someone with that much perseverance is going to succeed. Creasey went on to publish over 600 books.
If you are writing a book, how many publishers will you go to?
J. Paul Getty spent nearly a year drilling oil wells with no success. One the verge of giving up, he tried one last time – successfully.
How many dry wells will you drill?
Decca Records rejected the Beatles saying “The Beatles have no future in show business”.
Will you accept it when someone rejects you or your plans?
Summary:
You need to develop three mindsets so you can use every failure as a learning experience and a stepping to success:
• Determination.
• Diligence.
• Perseverance.