IF AT FIRST YOU DON'T SUCCEED!

It’s a little known fact that Thomas Edison - the inventor of the electric light bulb - made 10,000 prototypes before he got it right! At the time he said, "I haven’t failed, I’ve identified 10,000 ways that it doesn’t work."

Some people would have given up after the first few tries and then convince themselves that it was impossible. But he kept at it till he got it right and eventually he tasted the sweet taste of success.

Rockerfeller – another man who’s life has met with significant success - would agree as he reveals,

“I do not think that there is any other quality so essential to success of any kind as the quality of perseverance. It overcomes almost everything, even nature.”

What it all boils down to is never giving up.

So what is perseverance?

If you’re looking for a dictionary definition – according to Websters - perseverance is the steady persistence in adhering to a course of action, a belief, or a purpose; steadfastness.

As you can see from the meaning you can’t perservere if you don’t have a goal or a belief. This is very hard work. It’s about believing in yourself, your ideas, your dreams and your goals. Often in the face of criticism and other's disbelief in who you are and in what you are capable of accomplishing.

Perseverance is a commitment, a dedication to yourself and having the courage to follow through with your actions. It’s one of the most essential characteristic that every successful entrepreneur must have in order to succeed in any of the ventures they embark on.

Every entrepreneur will encounter hurdles or obstacles in their day to day dealings and the only way to overcome any obstacles is to keep on going until we overcome all obstacles and succeed. Acquiring a desired job or promotion, winning that contract or succeeding at business will present its difficulties.

But this is part of the learning process.

Ultimately, people who refuse to give up become successful. They learn from their mistakes.

Too many people stop at the first sign of an obstacle or difficulty because of their fears or lack of confidence in their abilities to follow their ideas or dreams through.

On the other hand some people have a few goes and then they give up as well not knowing that had they persevered just a bit longer they would have attained the success they sought, but the sad thing is that they will never know because they did not persevere long enough to find out!

As an entrepreneur myself I’ve found it hard to keep on going when things are not going so well. I try to use the system below to help me stay motivated and focused and achieve my goals.

1.Write down your goals clarifying exactly what you want to achieve and also why you want the goals and how you and others will benefit from it.

2.Focus on your goals daily. Read your goals to yourself first thing in the morning when you wake up and last thing at night.

3.Stay motivated by developing support systems. You can cultivate the friendship of positive, encouraging people who support your goals and always celebrate your achievements.

4.Select other sources like motivational books, articles or motivational quotes which have uplifting themes. I have a personal quote which I read every day and which I keep with me all the time so that when I am feeling down I take it out and read it to myself and almost immediately I feel ready to take on the world.

5.Practice Visualisation. Imagine yourself living your goal. Visualise your desired outcome firmly in your mind. See, smell, touch and hear aspects of your goal. Each morning upon rising, review your goal. Repeat the process at night. This helps you focus on the goals and helps remind you of why you want to achieve the goals.

6.Persist. Focus on your goals daily. With every defeat or hurdles you encounter you’re closer to attaining success. If you learn from your set-backs and stay on course, success will surely follow. Every day, at regular intervals, review whether and how your activities are helping.

7.Believe in yourself and that you’ll achieve your goal. Then keep on going until you get there. When your mind, emotions and activities focus on your goal, you can achieve the extraordinary. Really.