Persistence—The Lifeblood of Success
Welcome to another Mindset Monday, where we focus on sharpening our thinking and aligning our actions with success. Today, we’re diving into one of the most critical ingredients for achieving any goal—persistence. As highlighted in Think A Better Thought – Training Your Mind for Success 101, persistence is not just a virtue; it’s a necessity. Without it, success remains a fleeting dream. With it, success becomes inevitable.
Taking Back Control of Your Mind is Easy. Staying in Control is the Work.
Have you ever made a decision to change your life? Maybe you decided to get healthier, start a business, or develop a new skill. The initial decision feels empowering. But then, the real challenge begins—sticking with it. This is where most people falter, not because they lack ability, but because they lack persistence.
Taking control of your thoughts isn’t the hard part. It’s maintaining that control consistently that separates the successful from the unsuccessful. Every great achievement is built on the foundation of persistent, disciplined thinking. Your mind is like a muscle—it strengthens with consistent training.
Daily Nourishment: The Role of Persistence in Success
Imagine if you stopped eating. You wouldn’t just be hungry; your body would weaken, and eventually, you wouldn’t survive. The same principle applies to your mindset and success. If you’re not persistently feeding your mind with empowering thoughts and actions, your motivation, confidence, and progress will wither away.
Persistence is the daily nourishment that fuels your journey. It’s the steady commitment to monitor your thoughts, redirect negativity, and reinforce success-driven thinking. It’s the practice of choosing discipline over convenience, progress over comfort, and action over hesitation.
You Can’t “Try” to Be Persistent—You Either Are or You Aren’t
One of the most powerful shifts you can make in your mindset is eliminating the word “try” from your vocabulary. Trying implies the possibility of failure; it gives you an out before you’ve even begun. You don’t try to persist—you persist. You don’t try to succeed—you commit to success.
The formula is simple: The way to become more persistent is to persist more.
If you want to be a writer, write every day.
If you want to be healthy, make conscious eating and exercise choices daily.
If you want to build a successful business, keep taking action no matter the obstacles.
The moment you say, “I’ll try,” you introduce doubt. Instead, say, “I will.” Then, follow through with action. The power of persistence is in doing, continuing, and never stopping.
Quitting Guarantees Failure—Persistence Guarantees Progress
Success isn’t about talent, luck, or intelligence alone. It’s about refusing to quit. The only way to fail is to stop. Every setback, challenge, or difficulty is an opportunity to grow stronger. Each time you persist through discomfort or adversity, you build resilience and get one step closer to your goals.
Ask yourself today: Where in my life am I “trying” instead of persisting? What would change if you fully committed to persisting—no excuses, no hesitation, just daily, consistent action?
The Challenge for This Week
For this Mindset Monday, commit to a Persistence Challenge:
Choose one area of your life where you need more persistence.
Set a specific, measurable action to take every day this week.
Remove “try” from your vocabulary and replace it with “I will.”
When you feel like quitting, remind yourself that persistence is the key to your success.
Persistence isn’t something you wait to feel motivated to do. It’s something you decide to do—every day, no matter what. Keep going, and you’ll be amazed at what you achieve.
Stay persistent, stay committed, and most importantly, Think A Better Thought.
Have a powerful and productive week!
