Value Education - Perseverance


The theme of the day is 'Perseverance'.

"Great works are performed not by strength but by perseverance." - Samuel Johnson

What does perseverance mean?

Perseverance means persistence in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success. We all face difficult situations everyday in our lives. So what should be our response to such difficult situations? Should we quit our efforts to achieve success at the first encounter with problems? Of course not.

If we quit, it will be the end of all the dreams that we have seen for ourselves. The dreams about our prosperity, well-being and superlative achievements. We also deny ourselves an opportunity to revel in the glory that our accomplishments would bring. Not only this, we must have spent huge amount of resources including time, money, material, hard work etc. and quitting at this stage will mean wasting all these resources. Some of these resources may belong to an individual but in the broader sense and ultimate analysis, almost all the resources are owned by the society we live in. After all, the resources are shared resources. Would wasting society's resources ever be justified?

We need to answer another question, would acceding defeat ever be in our own best interests? We must understand that the path to success is seldom easy. Continuing on the path of achieving success calls for supreme efforts and sacrifice of a lot many things. The first of the items that we sacrifice  are comfort, convenience and peace. You need to have a burning desire to achieve the sweet result.    

Take failure in your stride as it should be seen as a stepping stone to greater success. If you fail the first instance, you are a better person at handling your own affairs because you now know the reasons for your failure. You also know, what changes you should implement so that second time you actually succeed. So you stand a better chance at achieving success after you have tasted failure.      

If people quit at the first instance, electric bulb would never have been invented and so would many more inventions that followed the bulb. Even SapceX would never have successfully tested its commercial lunch of service to take people in space after many initial setbacks. Microsoft, Apple, Google would not have come about if these did not persevere in the face of difficulties.

What is that quality that makes a person bounce back despite setbacks and difficult situations. It is perseverance that makes a person run for success till such time he actually achieves it. Therefore, perseverance is counted as one of the many virtues that is so much desirable in building a strong character of a man.

Do you have perseverance?         

Exercise 

Q1. Do you think if you keep perseverance, you will achieve success?

Q2. Narrate a situation where you kept your perseverance and you achieved success?


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