Persistence

Persistence

by Napoleon Hill

There is no hurdle or obstacle which cannot eventually be overcome by . . . Persistence

Persistence in the face of opposition and difficult circumstances is one of the great assets of all successful people.

In every calling, every business, and every profession there are times when the going is hard, and unpleasant circumstances have to be met and mastered.

The unsuccessful person deals with these problems by running away from them, looking for "easier" jobs or opportunities.

The successful person stands his ground and turns on more will-power.

One of the most interesting facts concerning people who have risen to great heights of achievement is that they have succeeded in almost exact proportion to the extend they met and mastered opposition and adversity before arriving at the top.

Another interesting point is that they persisted in converting adversity and failure to their own benefit by searching until they found in each such circumstance the seed of an equivalent benefit and made use of it.

The person who stands by his purpose when failure stares him in the face usually is rewarded by some beneficial circumstance that comes his way from unexpected sources.

Dr. Alexander Graham Bell spent many weary months trying to construct a hearing aid for his wife who was practically stone deaf.

He met with one defeat after another but he kept on searching. He failed to find the secret of a hearing aid; but during his search for it he discovered the principle of the telephone.

The necessity for struggle is one of the unique ways that the Creator has provided to force people to develop and expand their mind-powers and gain wisdom. Wherever that necessity is removed the individual becomes soft and lacking in the resourcefulness with which to avail himself of his worldly needs.

A bird would never be able to fly if its mother broke the shell and saved it the struggle of hatching itself. In that struggle the fledgling develops the power to use its wings.

The necessity for struggle has another major benefit. It gives one an opportunity to develop self-confidence.

A three year old boy was playing in the ocean while his father and mother looked on from the shore. The child waded into deeper water until finally he was swept off his feet by a big wave. The mother called to her husband, "Jump in and save him, he's drowning!"

But the father said: "let's give him a chance to get up by himself. If we don't he'll always be afraid of the water." The child scrambled to his feet laughing heartily. He had met and mastered struggle.

The necessity for struggle and temporary defeat have still another benefit. They condition one's mind to appreciate success.

Every mechanism and every device and every form of knowledge that has given us the bountiful luxuries we enjoy today was born of the struggles of men and women who made them available. They were men and women who didn't quit when the going was hard.

Three years of heartbreaking struggle were experienced by the Wright Brothers before they got their first airplane off the ground. And after they proved that it could be flown they had another long stretch of discouraging struggle before they got their invention accepted and financed for production.

The necessity for struggle provides us with an accurate measuring device by which we may look into the future and tell whether it promises us success or failure. For it is plain that only those who are not afraid of struggle can hope to attain the higher planes of success.

What is your attitude when you meet with the necessity for struggle?

Your answer may give you a clue to your future attainments.