The Power of Perseverance: How to Keep Going When Times are Tough

Starting something is one thing. Completing it is another. Grit, perseverance and focus make a powerful trio for accomplishing what you set out to do. So, how can we actually keep going through thick and thin, through motivation and distraction, through highs and lows?

Perseverance and grit: keys to success and thriving.

Who else out there loves starting things, drawn to any unopened door, attracted by the glitter of something new, quick to turn their eyes from the long path ahead to focus on some cool fresh new rabbit hole? I know I'm not alone.

And still, to get things done, we need grit, perseverance, and focus. There's no way around it. In any project, there will always be a moment when it feels like a grind. On any path there will be hurdles. Success comes when we push through the slumps and circumvent the obstacles.

Benjamin Franklin tells us: “Energy and persistence conquer all things.”

In this blog post, we'll explore the power of perseverance and how it can help us accomplish our goals and thrive in our busy lives.

What Are Grit and Perseverance?

What exactly are grit and perseverance? And why are they so crucial in achieving any kind of success?

Grit is the ability to sustain passion and keep pushing towards your long-term goals, regardless of the obstacles that may surface. It's not about quick victories or easy wins, but more about the slow and steady marathon that often defines the path to long-term success. Grit is not simply the capacity to work hard, it includes the ability to maintain that effort over a prolonged period, even in the face of adversity.

Angela Duckworth, a founding researcher in the science of grit, describes it as intense passion plus intense perseverance. She tells us that highly successful people are resilient and hard working, with a clear direction and deep passion for what they are doing. Grit stems from a combination of persistence, purpose, and an ability to push through the discomfort of the drudgery.

Perseverance refers to the ability to persist in a course of action despite difficulty, obstacles, or discouragement. It's about staying committed to our objectives, not just when things are running smoothly, but importantly, when they're not. A persevering individual sees failure not as a stumbling block, but as a stepping stone to success.

Why are these traits so vital in the professional world? Success is rarely a straight path. It is a winding road filled with peaks and valleys, and it's during the challenging dips and turns that grit and perseverance come into play. They equip you with the mental strength to endure setbacks, to pivot when necessary, and to maintain momentum, even when the path ahead appears unclear or difficult.

Grit and perseverance, however, aren't about being stubborn or resistant to change. They are about maintaining a flexible mindset and a willingness to adapt, all while staying true to your core objectives. This might mean making strategic changes to your approach, learning new skills, or seeking out fresh perspectives. Above all, it means embracing the journey, with all its twists and turns, and recognizing that each step forward, no matter how small, is a testament to your resilience and determination.

In a succinct description of what this means, Martin Luther King once famously said, "If you can’t fly, run. If you can’t run, walk. If you can’t walk, crawl. But by all means, keep moving.”

How to Build Grit and Perseverance

Grit and perseverance, then, are key building blocks of success. They help you to turn challenges into opportunities, to bounce back from failures, and to keep moving forward, one step at a time. What can help us build them?

Staying on Task: The Importance of Focus

Focus has two aspects in the context of grit: an ability to focus on the task at hand and an ability to keep your final goal in mind. Focus and perseverance are tightly intertwined. Maintaining focus can feel like an uphill battle. When things get hard or we get tired, the mind wanders to distraction. In the end, strengthening our ability to focus helps with grit, and that we do with practice—starting small and building up. (Learn more about building focus here.)

As Orison Swett Marden writes in An Iron Will, "One of the secrets of a successful life is to be able to hold all of our energies upon one point, to focus all of the scattered rays of the mind upon one place or thing.”

Maximizing Energy: A Key to Long-term Success

The journey to success is a marathon, not a sprint. As such, it's imperative to effectively manage our energy for the long haul. Contrary to popular belief, being constantly busy doesn't equate to being productive or successful. In fact, it can often lead to exhaustion, a dip in productivity, and ultimately, a decrease in your ability to persevere.

So, how can you maximize your energy and keep your perseverance levels high? It all begins with the non-negotiables that allow you to show up every day [read more about this here].

The next step involves discerning what tasks genuinely contribute to your goals and focusing your efforts on them. This isn't about doing more, but about doing what’s important with the energy you have.

Add intense focus on the present moment and we save more energy. When Henry Ward Beecher was asked how it was that he could accomplish more than other men, he replied:  “I don’t do more, but less, than other people. They do all their work three times over: once in anticipation, once in actuality, once in rumination. I do mine in actuality alone, doing it once instead of three times.”

Maximizing your focus in this way can have a transformative effect on your productivity, but more importantly, it ensures you're investing your energy wisely for long-term success.

Learning from Failures: An Essential Component of Grit

When we stumble and fall on the path to success, it's easy to feel defeated. And yet, it's part of the process. Every setback offers a lesson in disguise, a unique opportunity to refine strategies, adjust tactics, and emerge better equipped for future challenges, one step closer to your goal.

Seeing failure as a teacher rather than a terminator isn't easy, but it's a shift in mindset that can have profound impacts on any journey to success. It breeds resilience, nurtures grit, fuels determination, and ultimately, strengthens our capacity to persevere through adversity. 

In her book Getting Grit, Caroline Adams Miller writes, “People with authentic grit are not wildly unrealistic about their competencies, but they do take risks because they have self-efficacy—they believe they will figure out whatever they need to know or do to accomplish their goals. One of their most distinguishing characteristics, however, is that they do not fear failure, and they don’t necessarily allow themselves to visualize or accept the idea that they will fail."

Cultivating Grit and Perseverance: Practical Strategies

Fostering grit and perseverance isn't something that happens in the blink of an eye, but the good news is, there are handy, practical strategies to aid in this process.

  • First on the list: set clear, attainable objectives. With clearly outlined targets, you can create a road map that serves as a constant reminder of the destination, thus fueling our drive to press on, even when challenges crop up.

  • Second, break the goal into bite-sized tasks. This approach makes daunting goals seem less intimidating, allowing you to make steady, consistent progress. Every small victory brings you closer to your main goal and bolsters your confidence and resilience, strengthening your grit and perseverance.

  • Just as vital is to regularly revisit your "why" – the core reason that underlies your endeavors. Your "why" is your anchor, your North Star that keeps you focused and motivated, particularly during rough patches. By keeping your "why" at the forefront, you rekindle the flame of your determination and reinforce your commitment to persevere.

  • Remember the power of the growth mindset – viewing roadblocks not as impediments, but as opportunities for growth and learning, builds resilience, enhances problem-solving abilities, and ultimately, boosts your capacity to persevere.

  • Last, but by no means least, take care of your physical and mental health. Success is a long game that demands endurance and vigor in both body and mind. So, prioritize self-care, exercise, balanced nutrition, adequate rest, and activities that rejuvenate your spirit. Nurturing your overall well-being not only helps you withstand adversity but also primes you to thrive amidst it.

In itself, fostering grit and perseverance is a journey, not a destination. It's about consistently implementing these practical strategies and maintaining a persistent and positive attitude. In doing so, you'll not only cultivate these invaluable traits, but you'll also equip yourself with the resilience needed to navigate the challenging, yet rewarding, road to professional success.

Get Started Building More Grit

What can you do right now? Don't let this knowledge sit on the shelf. Take action.

Anne TragerPotentializing Perseverance