Perseverance: Great Element of Success

Perseverance: Great Element of Success

By Abundant Robert K. AWOLUGUTU

Decide exactly what you want and resolve to persist, no matter what, until you achieve it.

                                                                                -Brian Tracy, Motivational Expert.

Friend, you will never amount to anything in this world if you set goals and then sat back with your hands on your laps. It takes more than goal-setting to succeed.

I took an in depth look at the lives of top-notch achievers and came to one conclusion; they persevered before they achieved their goals. Think of great achievers like Thomas Edison, Napoleon Hill, Henry Ford, John C. Maxwell, Steve Wander, John Mason, Bill Gates to mention but a few; they could never have risen to such unbelievable heights of achievement and success without the habit of perseverance.

Most of the things you see around you from which people made fortunes could not have happened without the perseverance of the people behind those inventions. In deed such people combined faith with perseverance. The two are indispensable to success.

The principle of perseverance has been recognized and used by people to chalk up success since the dawn of civilization. Bible, the most authoritative book on success has accounts of people who employed this very principle to achieve their aims.

Jacob received his blessing from God but not without perseverance. In Gen. 32: 26-29 the word of God says, “And He said, Let Me go, for the day breaks.

But he said, I will not let you go unless you bless me.

So He said to him, What is your name? He said, “Jacob.”

And He said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.”

Then Jacob asked, saying, Tell me your name, I pray. And He said, Why is it that you ask about My name?” And He blessed him there.”

Remember that you don’t get a prize if you don’t finish a race. Your reward will come after you have prevailed.

Jacob was imbued with the spirit of perseverance. God was left with no choice but to bless him.

In Thessalonians 5:16, the author wrote: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

Yes, do not stop praying because you have not had immediate results. The secret is to keep on praying. In the end you will prevail and be blessed.

Jesus taught his followers the principle of perseverance. He used the parable of the persistent widow to make his point.

In a certain city was a judge who neither had respect for God nor man. A widow came to him saying, “Get justice for me from my adversary.” The judge did not pay attention to the request of the poor widow. The widow kept pestering the judge until she prevailed and got the judge to do what was right.

What exactly do you want to do in this world? Whether it is in the field of music, sports, industry, academia or whatever, the perseverance principle will do for you what it did for people before you.

You must focus on your goals. Have faith that you can achieve your goals. Giving up should never be an option. You cannot reach your goals without staying power.

I am myself living proof that if one persevered; he should get what he wants in life. I did not become a writer overnight. It took me years to develop my writing talent. Here is how I did it.

I had great interest in reading novels and newspapers. One of my English tutors inspired me to take to serious reading while in senior high school.

My favourite areas were editorials, letter to editor, and columns that discussed success issues. As I kept on reading, it dawned on me that I should not just be interested in reading the work of others, but should write and have other people read my work.

As a neophyte, I started with letter to the editor. These articles were usually very short, consisting of about a paragraph or two. Knowing how to start and end an article was important. I had to study other writers before embarking on my journey as a writer.

 My first article was published in a Ghanaian newspaper in 1978. That was after I had submitted several articles. It was an exciting experience reading one’s own work in print and being congratulated by friends and other well-wishers. Since words are the raw materials of a writer, I had to increase my word power. I bought Oxford Advance Learner’s English Dictionary. I also bought novels written by African writers, especially books by ace writer Chinua Achebe, Cyprian Ekwensi,  Ayikwei Armah, Kofi Awoonor, Wole Soyinka among others.

I read the daily newspapers every day. My reading covered most of the important works of William Shakespeare and Geoffrey Chaucer. In recent times I spend about 5% of my salary on motivational books. I have books by world class authors like Tony Robbins, Dr. Robert Anthony, Brian Tracy, John C. Maxwell, Bill Newman, Norman Vincent Peale, Myles Munroe, Mike Murdock, Jack Canfield among others.

Every week I made sure I submitted articles to various newspapers. With an increase in my word power, there was a corresponding improvement in the content of my write-ups. I took my writing a step forward by shifting from letter to the editor to feature articles with cross-heads.

I have been writing features for various Ghanaian newspapers but have not been paid a cent. At a certain point in time, I pleaded that they give me something to cover internet charges and research but nobody listened to me. I have never been discouraged by that. I have persisted and hoped that the good LORD will put smiles on my face. I am also optimistic that if I persevere, I will succeed as a writer. I hope to touch the lives of many people in a positive way through my writings. I am very positive about this. I know God will do it through me.

I love writing; I do it effortlessly. It was not so at the beginning of my writing career. With perseverance there are no limits to what one can do.

In conclusion, perseverance is a great element of success. The great Gail Devers said it best when he said, “Keep your dreams alive. Understand to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hard work, determination and dedication. Remember, all things are possible for those who believe.”

To Your Success,

Abundant Robert K. AWOLUGUTU

Mob: +233(0) 208 455 296

Email: awolugutu@yahoo.com