Do you want to accomplish something in life? Be like the stone cutter. Jacob Riis says, “Look at the stone cutter hammering away at the rock, perhaps a 100 times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the 101st blow, it will split in two. And I know it was not the last blow that did it, but all that had gone before.”
Whatever you want to accomplish in life will require persistence.
All things come to those who go after them. Perseverance is the result of a strong will. Stubbornness is the result of a strong won’t. Montesquieu said, “Success often depends on knowing how long it will take to succeed.”
The secret of success: never let down and never let up. Many times success consists of hanging on one minute longer.
Calvin Coolidge said, “‘Press on’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.”
James 5:11 reads, “Behold we count them happy which endure.” You will find that persistent people always have this attitude: they never lose the game; they just run out of time.
All spiritual progress is like an unfolding vegetable bud. You first have a leading, then peace, then conviction. In the same way, the plant has root, bud, and fruit. Compte de Buffon says, “Never think that God’s delays are God’s denials. Hold on; hold fast; hold out. Patience is genius.”
Joel Hause said, “You may be whatever you resolve to be. Determine to be something in the world and you will be something. ‘I cannot’ never accomplished anything: ‘I will try’ has wrought wonders.”
Persistence prevails when all else fails. Revelations 2:10 says, “Be faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.”
The truth is that persistence is a bitter plant, but it has sweet fruit. Joseph Ross said, “It takes time to succeed because success is merely the natural reward of taking time to do anything well.”
Ecclesiastes declares, “Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof; and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit” (v. 8). Victory always comes to the most persevering.
Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “The great majority of men are bundles of beginnings.”
No one finds life worth living. One must make it worth living. Persistence is the quality that is most needed when it is exhausted.
And remember, genius is often just another way of spelling persistence.
Excerpt permission granted by Insight Publishing
John Mason is an international bestselling author, minister, publisher, executive author coach, and noted speaker. He’s the founder and president of Insight International and Insight Publishing Group. Both organizations are dedicated to helping people reach their dreams and fulfill their God-given destinies.
He has authored thirty-two books including An Enemy Called Average, You’re Born An Original—Don’t Die A Copy, Let Go of Whatever Makes You Stop, and Know Your Limits Then Ignore Them which have sold over 2 million copies and are translated into 40 different languages throughout the world. His books are widely regarded as a source of godly wisdom, scriptural motivation, and practical principles. His writings have been published twice in Reader’s Digest along with numerous other national and international publications. Seven of his books have reached number one on Amazon bestseller lists.
He’s been the president of two Christian publishing companies. He’s also a former Vice President and Publisher for Thomas Nelson Publishers (Harper Collins), the 6th largest book publisher in the world and largest Christian publisher.
He’s an internationally recognized executive author coach, helping numerous prominent authors with their books for more than thirty years. Politicians, NBA, NFL, PGA, MLB, an Olympic gold medalist and other professional athletes, billionaires, businesspeople, pastors, ministers, New York Times bestselling authors, a Fortune 500 CEO, Navy SEALs, Top Gun pilots, and a Texas governor have all benefitted from his knowledge.
Known for his quick wit, powerful thoughts, and insightful ideas, he is a popular speaker across the US and around the world.