“If you think about it, perseverance doesn’t really come into play until you are tired.”

A thought by John C. Maxwell from his book, Beyond Talent (p. 133). HarperCollins Leadership. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

Perseverance, there’s that word again.  And it is such an important word.

John says, “Author Napoleon Hill says, ‘Every successful person finds that great success lies just beyond the point when they’re convinced their idea is not going to work.’ How do you get beyond that point? How do you go beyond what you believe is your limit? How do you achieve lasting success? Do the right thing, day after day. There are no shortcuts to anything worthwhile.

“Every day that you do the right things—work hard, treat others with respect, learn, and grow—you invest in yourself. To do these things every day takes relentless perseverance, but if you do them, your success compounds over time. Weight-loss expert and author Judy Wardell Halliday supported this idea: ‘Dreams become reality when we keep our commitment to them.’”

He goes on, “Former diplomat and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom Robert Strauss commented, ‘Success is a little like wrestling a gorilla. You don’t quit when you’re tired—you quit when the gorilla is tired.’ If you think about it, perseverance doesn’t really come into play until you are tired. When you’re fresh, excited, and energetic, you approach a task with vigor. Work is fun. Only when you become tired do you need perseverance.

“To successful people, fatigue and discouragement are not signs to quit. They perceive them as signals to draw on their reserves, rely on their character, and keep going. One problem of many people is that they underestimate what it will take to succeed. Enlightenment political philosopher Montesquieu declared, ‘In most things, success depends on knowing how long it takes to succeed.’ When we haven’t counted the cost of success, we approach challenges with mere interest; what is really required is total commitment. And that makes all the difference.”

So, are you willing to do that which makes all the difference?  Are you?

Yes, yes!