"The power to hold on is characteristic of all men and women who have accomplished anything great; they may lack in some other particular aspect, have many weaknesses or eccentricities, but the quality of persistence is never absent from a successful man or woman. No matter what opposition he or she meets or what discouragement overtakes him or her, work cannot disgust him/her, obstacles cannot discourage him/her, labor cannot weary him/her; misfortune, sorrow, and reverses cannot harm him/her. It is not so much brilliancy of intellect, or abundance of resource, as PERSISTENCY of EFFORT, constancy of purpose, that makes a great man or woman. Those who succeed in life are the men and women who keep ceaselessly at it, who do not believe themselves geniuses, but who know that if they ever accomplish anything they must do it by determined and persistent industry." ~ Orison SwettMarden from An Iron Will

Persistence = Power.

As Calvin Coolidge tells us: "The most common commodity in this country is unrealized and used potential." Nothing in the world can take the place of PERSISTENCE.

Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men and women with talent.

Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.

Persistence and determination are necessary to reach any goal and bring focus and meaning to our lives.

Martin Seligman, tells us: "Success requires persistence, the ability to not give up in the face of failure." What are some obstacles to persistence? Thinking things should go perfectly right out the gate. Getting flustered the moment your great plan proves to, actually, kinda suck. Thinking mistakes + temporary failures are signs you do not have what it takes. But thinking we can also get through life by doing minimal, mediocre, and unmotivated work and still be successful is also an obstacle to success and persistence.

We need to believe in ourselves, put in the WORK and GET BACK TO IT. We need to KNOW that we will fall down again and again in our journey to our goals but that each fall gets us close to our goals. In short, we need to have an iron will.

Reflection: How's your persistence? Have you remained persistent it achieving your academic and personal goals? Why or why not? What are your obstacles in persistence? How is your attitude in class or college and how does it improve or hinder your persistence? Do you believe persistence and determination are necessary to reach your goals? Is your belief in your persistence congruent with your academic results, meaning are you achieving your goals? What are your views on Persistence and determination? Explain your answers.