Yin vs YangThe Battle for Success in Life

My family always taught me there are 3 major ingredients to success.  When I was younger I listened to the words, but they never seemed to sink in.  As I grew older, and life opened up to me, I realized these elements had a direct correlation to my success in anything I partook.

The definition of success can be different for everyone. The important part is that YOU and YOU alone are the judge of your success.  When you look in the mirror every morning, it is only you who knows if you are successful or not.  There are so many ways to be successful and even more ways to get there.  However, even with all these differences, it is the same three P’s that are needed on every journey.  No matter what your definition of personal success is, it is important to understand these elements if you want to see the big picture.

The big picture is important to visualize while taking care of the minor details.  Taking care of the details can seem monotonous.  They may even seem worthless at the time.  I know also, on many days, the end goal may look further away then it ever has.  It is on days like this that keeping in mind these three P’s will help you tremendously.

These are not groundbreaking, or secretive tricks that will change your life. They are simple terms that describe the character needed to be successful in anything you do. Understanding these terms is only a start.  Putting them into action is the only way to see their true benefits.

Patience

Everyone wants to achieve their goals ASAP.  I equate this to when I began stretching.  When I first started, I used to sweat bullets trying to touch my toes.  I had tight hamstrings, and a tight lower back.  I was too impatient to wait for my flexibility to increase.  I wanted to touch my toes NOW!.  For years, my flexibility did not change one single iota.

It was only after I learned the futility of this, that I began to increase my flexibility.  Stretching is not about the end goal (touching your toes), it is about the journey.  Reaching the toes is something I will accomplish by making small progress each day, not something I need to accomplish right NOW.  In fact, unless I continue to stretch every day, I will never reach my goa.  This thought relaxed my body by relieving me of the pressure to touch my toes.  By learning to be patient, I was actually moving quicker toward success.

Patience, something I was sorely lacking as a youth, is the number one ingredient to success.  It allows you to focus on the task at hand, rather than the big picture.  Understanding the big picture is important, however, focusing on it solely will cause you to mess up the important details.  Think about it: You start out a big painting with just one stroke at a time.  Patience is what helps you focus on that stroke instead of rushing past it trying to get to the end result.

Persistence

Part of any successful journey is the element of failure.  Life is learned through trial and error, and that is still our greatest teacher.  On the way to a goal, we may fail over & over again until we reach success.  Having patience is one thing.  However, keeping at something is what makes you great at it.  Learning from your failures is a big part of the process.  If you quit after one failure, you will never get where you want to.

Persistence is defined by Oxford American dictionaries as “firm or obstinate continuance in a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition.”  This means that no matter what you face on your journey, you simply stay the course.  No failures, obstacles, or anything else will cause you to give up hope.

Persistence is the one ingredient in success that prevents failure.  If you persist, it means you have not given up.  If you have not given up, then your goal is still possible.  It is only when you stop persisting that failure becomes a reality.

Perseverance

Persistence and perseverance are closely related.  Perseverance is defined by Oxford American Dictionaries as “steadfastness in doing something despite difficulty or delay in doing so.”  The difference between the two closely related terms, in my opinion, is actually your own expectations.

Being persistent is about not giving up after a failure.  Perseverance is about not giving up even when it seems like you should.  It is about continuing forward even when the odds are against you, and everyone is telling you it is impossible.  This is where belief in yourself and your ability to achieve your goal comes in.   Believe in yourself and you will persevere.

Many great examples of perseverance can be found in successful sports stories:

1. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team.
2. Jerry Rice was considered too slow a WR.
3. Randy Couture was too old to win another UFC title.

The list goes on and on.  In fact, every success story has the part where the successful people thought about giving up.  If they never persevered on, they would not have been successful.  So the next time it seems all hope is lost, try looking at the situation like a great story waiting to be told.

Patience, persistence, and perseverance, are three keys to achieving success in any goal. Success can be a long, rough, dark road with many obstacles. Take your time, stay your course, and never, ever give up.

If you don’t give up, how can you possibly have failed?

Stumble It!