Perseverance; we’ve all heard the word. We have had that word looming over us since we were small, mini humans. But, why? Why is that word following us around like a shadow? Well, here is the thing, without perseverance we would be stuck in a world without progression. When we are faced with a task, there will always be either a high that comes with something exciting or that self-doubting fear that comes with uncharted territory. Either way, there will always be a time when our emotions get the better of us, but it is perseverance that enables us to move forward. It isn’t always easy, as we all know. Allowing our thoughts of giving up to kick in doesn’t help a situation.
A Real Life Instance
I am sure we are all well aware of the time when this has happened to us. It happens far too often. We become excited when we first start reading a book, but then the book becomes a little more boring in the beginning than we had expected. So, we are faced with that question, give up and find a new book or persevere and continue until we are hooked. Or take starting a new job, it can suck the first few months. It feels like every time we step into work we are lifted upside down and turned around. We haven’t learned the ropes of that new company, we are still the new kid, and we are still trying to figure out where everyone likes to go get lunch. We show up early because the boss doesn’t recognize us yet, which means that we go to sleep paranoid that our six alarms aren’t going to wake us up. We want to give up because the feeling of being behind isn’t going away, but once we push past it, an entirely new world opens. A position that felt like we were drowning suddenly feels obtainable. And on the opposite side of that, starting a new hobby without any specific goal in mind, just for fun. It’s exciting and new, like maybe starting a Youtube channel. We acquire the gear and do it for a few months. But, when we don’t see the reviews we were expecting or life becomes busy and the camera is pushed aside. It’s pushing past those thoughts of giving up and figuring out if this is something that is meaningful and continues to pursue despite the challenges.
Relatable
I have been faced with these thoughts so many times I have lost count. Although, a big part of my problem is that I tend to give up before I even start. My overthinking brain becomes excited for a moment then focuses on the negative and hard parts of starting something new. Thoughts of giving up bubble up in my head. Honestly, that’s the first thought that comes up once anything becomes remotely hard. But when we train our perseverance like we do our muscles, it starts to be a lot easier to push through. When I was younger, I took piano lessons. It was fun at first, but then it got hard, so I convinced my mom to let me give up. And to this day I regret my decision. It would be so cool to know how to play the piano, but I let my negative thoughts win. On the flip side, I always said I wanted to integrate working out into my daily routine. It was a chore at first and I had to push past it, but eventually it became a part of my daily routine. However, that doesn't mean I don’t still think about giving up mid workout. But I keep pushing until I finish the workout because I remember how amazing it feels once the workout is complete. Another time was when I started my blog. I did research, planned, and worked eagerly writing with no end goal. It’s become a huge part of my life. There are days where I feel like giving up and most weeks where I have no idea what to write. There are weeks where I procrastinate so much that I end up finishing the post when I wanted to be posting it. But, regardless of the challenges, it is still something that I am excited about. So I persevere, I continue, and I work and push past my days of feeling over it. It’s been a year and one day I might hang up the towel, but as for right now this is meaningful and an exercise for my giving-up tendencies.
Not Always Easy
Every instance is individual. To persevere is preferred, but that’s not to say that there won’t be times when letting go of something is the better decision. I had a job that I enjoyed but needed to look for something different, so instead of pushing on and not wanting to “give up”. I decided that finishing that chapter wasn’t giving up, it was closing one to start another. When we start a hobby that isn’t a fit, instead of torturing ourselves we should let go to find a proper fit. Or is it the discipline of knowing we might not be making the progress we thought we would be making so we step back to evaluate knowing that good things take time? Perseverance comes connected to discernment. It comes with being self-aware. Learning our tendencies and our habits. It comes with pushing past what we think we should do and giving it our full thought process allowing time to evaluate the whole scenario. Sometimes it’s not simply black or white. Sometimes there is a gray area. Sometimes there will be a circumstance in life where we need to step away for a while and revisit the situation at a later time. But, with anything, we should allow ourselves room to try and walk through whatever situation we walked into in the first place.
Yes, No, Maybe So
I can’t play any instrument because I took the easy route. Working out has become a part of my daily life because I pushed through those days of laziness. I didn’t finish school, but I gave it everything trying only to find out that it wasn’t for me (Not My Thing…). I have been reading the same book for months because I want to persevere even though I should probably find a new book. I stepped away from dancing, but I found a compromise and still take classes now and then. I started a blog that I occasionally would love nothing more than to not have to post, but I love it so I continue writing about topics that matter to me (and hopefully you). Any situation is about weighing the odds and giving everything to persevere until we’ve exhausted all of our options. Without doing that, we are left either with regret or weakening our ability to fight harder the next time.
Perseverance doesn't come easy. And it can take time to move past the phase of wanting to give up. But, it can be worth every struggle. Knowing we’ve pushed, given it the best try, and done what we can feels so rewarding. Hope this could encourage you. Enjoy the weekend and don’t forget to follow me on Instagram, subscribe to The Allie-Way, share with someone, and let me know your thoughts. Thanks for reading Allie- Cats.
Dru Allie
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