8 Ways to Develop Persistence

One major (and tragic!) source of failure is giving up too quickly. When that happens it means you had everything necessary to become successful in your endeavor, except one thing—persistence. Persistence is a behavior, so developing it and practicing it is attainable for anyone. What are your current challenges, and can purposeful determination help? I think so. After all, a lot of times success comes only after much trial and error.

“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. Rockefeller

Here are eight tactics to persevere when the going gets tough:

Repeat your Efforts

You might be doing all the right things, but perhaps the timing is not right. Simply repeating your actions—the same exact actions—enough times will bring success.

Change Your Strategy

Then again, you might not be doing the right thing. If you have received feedback that indicates repeating your efforts will not lead to success, change your strategy and try again.

Model Someone Successful

Chances are you are not the first person to have gone through the process you are going through. Get advice from someone from someone experienced and adapt what they did in the past to what you want to do.

Capitalize on Momentum

Sometimes getting started is the hardest part. This can be all too true when your project requires a day-in day-out grind. But it all adds up to something amazing over time. Just take the first step—sometimes the rest has a way of taking care of itself.

Rest, then Start Again

There is an ebb and flow to most things in life. Take a purposeful down period to renew your energy and passion. You’ll come back more enthusiastic about the work and you will get better results than if you kept going without a break.

Look at the Big Picture

If you’ve been working in the weeds, you may have gotten more specific over time and lost sight of the original goal or your perspective. Step back, review everything from afar, and refocus your efforts if necessary.

Reward Yourself

Celebrate small wins. At the start of a big project, break it up into smaller chunks, each with their own goal and reward. You’ll have something to look forward to when each stage is completed.

Keep Optimistic

Focusing on performance goals, outcomes, and whether you succeed or fail can become very demotivating. Instead, make a decision to focus on the present, enjoy the process, and keep the perspective that it will all work out in the end–one way or another.

Eva Rykrsmith

Eva Rykrsmith is an organizational psychology practitioner. Her passion lies in bringing a psychology perspective to the business world, with the mission of creating a high-performance environment. Follow her @EvaRykr.