#Persistence August 20

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Each morning many of us wake up with the cloud of the pandemic flying over head. Those storm clouds force us to alter plans. Some have referenced our battle with COVID 19 as a marathon but it is more like a slog. Our 2020 journey requires PERSISTENCE.

 I offer up this video to illustrate a slog.

Proverbs 24:16 tells us “The godly may trip seven times, but they rise again.”

Napoleon Hill wrote many books. One of his best selling books is called “Think and Grow Rich”

The book was written in 1937 and has sold over 100 million copies. I read it the first time in the late 1980’s. There are many great takeaways in this book especially in Chapter Nine that deals with the habit of persistence.

One of my favorite stories about the value of PERSISTENCE is advice a Collegiate Hall of Fame Baseball Player shared with me. He told me that he was taught at early age on his family farm to do three things every day.

1. Get Up

2. Show Up

3. Shut Up and do the work

He went to college as a baseball pitcher and after the 1st week of practice the coach put up the team’s depth chart. My friend was ranked 15 out of 16 pitchers on the roster.

At the end of the first semester he had risen to #7 because other on the list had failing grades, lack of interest in working hard, or a discipline issue.

His big takeaway to me was when he said “I really didn’t improve that much my first semester but by being persistence in meeting my responsibilities I advanced from the bottom to the top half. ” By the end of his college career he was the #1 pitcher on the team. The setback of the first week of college baseball practice did not define him. He wanted to be a college pitcher so he persevered.

So what did Napoleon Hill have to say about acquiring or mastering the habit of PERSISTENCE. They are listed below

4 Steps that lead to habit of persistence:

1. A definite purpose backed by a burning desire for its fulfillment. PURPOSE
2. A definite plan, expressed in continuous action. PLAN
3. A mind closed tightly against all negative and discouraging influences, including negative suggestions of relatives, friends and acquaintances. FOCUS
4. A friendly alliance with one or more person who will encourage you to follow through with both plan and purpose. MENTOR

So one of the big enemies of the habit of PERSISTENCE is the fear of criticism. In today’s world a leader who can persist thru setbacks and criticism possesses a major advantage over the majority of people in their respective fields.

We all need put one foot forward today and keep slogging.

#Persistence August 20