Okay, a mother’s “don’t ever quit” advice is good advice that’s never wrong. So what else is new?
Well, according to all the personal development/self-help trainers out there, not very much. They’ve all been telling you the same thing for about the last 100 years or so. But in today’s world you need more than that.
A lot more.
See, what all the great personal development leaders seem to enjoy talking about is how your continued persistence will lead eventually to success. Good stuff for sure but what I’ve noticed is that when promoting advice like this it can trigger one great unanswered fundamental question:
What exactly is persistence anyway?
This is a thorny question but it begged to be answered.
For one thing, in today’s parlance it’s not always referred to as persistence. It’s sometimes better known as “grit”. But let’s first look at what the dictionary says about the word “persistence”.
It does give a definition as far as how to use the word “persistence” in language but says nothing else. It remains a mystery as to it’s source or it’s true nature. When I look up the definition of “grit” it’s pretty much the same thing:
grit: noun
the courage and determination that makes it possible for someone to continue doing something difficult or unpleasant
I mean, it’s okay if you’re happy to just know how best to use this term in your writing or speaking, but as far as understanding it on a deeper level, it won’t cut it.
And when I say “deeper” I mean it.
For me it took a little time – about two decades – to get it as close to being right as I could bring it. Because along the way other seriously big questions were raised as well.
Questions like:
- What is the actual nature of persistence and determination?
- Can these attributes be taught at home or in a classroom?
- How can we make it so that either of these show up more often ?
The answers to these questions are not what you’d expect. Persistence as it turns out, is not a simple two-dimensional object like the words on this page are. It’s not a theory or a rule either. It’s neither a science like math, physics or cosmology.
That’s why it’s a bummer to teach in school. It’s a three-dimensional drive of pure energy but that’s only the short answer. You need and deserve a lot more – and that’s exactly what you’ll find in my new book
The Gut Brain Balm – How the strangest brain ever made saves us from death by stress.
It’s coming soon. Stay tuned.
More Power to you.
