per⋅se⋅ver⋅ance [pur-suh-veer-uhns] Show IPA
–noun
1. | steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., esp. in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement. |
“It was once said by a man who couldn’t quit.” Granted, if you know the song the rest of the verse is pretty negative, but we shall only take this one part, take it out of context, and turn it into something positive {mahalo NWA}.
“It was once said by a man who couldn’t quit…” Perseverance is a great thing. According to the definition listed above it is “persistence in spite of difficulties or discouragement.” How many of us are going through something right now in our lives, which requires perseverance? Raise your hand if this pertains to you? It should be noted that the author himself is raising one hand and typing solely with the other. But what the definition does not acknowledge is the emotional strength and intestinal fortitude combined with the physical resolve required to “persevere” day in and day out. It is here where true perseverance is born and the word evolves from a noun to a verb. True perseverance embodies every aspect of your being to keep moving forward; to push through the pain and suffering and emerge better and stronger on the other side. To never give up despite how challenging the course may be; to become if you will, a verb an action. How many times have we stopped or quit an activity because it got “too difficult.” How did we feel after that? Now, recall how many times have we pushed through that pain and worked through the physical and emotional difficulty to finish our task and reach our desired goals. Which one felt better? I would argue the latter, because we challenged not only the task and won, but we challenged ourselves to continue on despite of all the hardships and obstacles and won. We became a verb. We became an action.
“It was once said by a man who couldn’t quit…” The late great Coach Jim Valvano said it best when he said, “Don’t give up, don’t ever give up!” So never give up!
“It was once said by a man who couldn’t quit..." “Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of
doing the hard work you already did.”
“It was once said by a man who couldn’t quit..."
