By Scott Reddoch
When I was eight I had a hamster named Nitro. It was a bribe. My parents said if I didn’t get any C’s on my report card that they would reward me with a sleeping rodent. I’m not sure who convinced the world that hamsters are good pets, but they were quite a salesperson. I tried really hard at school and also spent a lot of time learning about hamsters.
Report cards came and I got straight C’s, I wasn’t failing school but I wouldn’t be getting a hamster either. The next report card I had gotten B’s and two A’s, that was good enough for a hamster.
So I get this thing and it hates me. It has a stinky cage, it sleeps all day, and bites me every chance it gets. Hamsters are dumb pets.
I figured that Nitro was cranky because it was stuck in that cage. To help things, I built Nitro an obstacle course.
In hindsight, I guess grabbing Nitro while it was trying to sleep and throwing it on my obstacle course probably wasn’t the best remedy, but I was eight.
My obstacle course was pretty elaborate, I even had a water obstacle that was made from a turtle habitat. Nitro didn’t appreciate my work and would run around the perimeter of the course looking for an escape. I wore thick leather work gloves to handle Nitro and lined the perimeter of my course with pillows from my bed and the ones that my mom put on the furniture.
Since Nitro didn’t like my obstacle course I built it a maze. It was some of my best work complete with a piece of cheese at the end. Nitro was only interested in escaping. It didn’t like the maze either, it would just run around the perimeter looking for an opening.
Living up to its name, Nitro was a beast on the exercise wheel. It would only exercise at night, besides having a mean streak, it was nocturnal too. Hamsters are dumb pets. From dusk to dawn Nitro would run on that wheel.
It was bound to happen, I left a gap in the perimeter pillows and Nitro found it the second that I placed it on the obstacle course. I never saw Nitro again.
A lot can be said about Nitro’s drawbacks but I can’t discount its persistence. In a world that praises overnight success and searches for the easy route, we can learn a big lesson from the hamster.
Trying again and again in the face of adversity is persistence. The ability to stay the course despite delay or discouragement is a powerful mindset that separates those who achieve their goals from those who don’t.
Persistence is the invisible force behind success. It fuels growth and helps us reach our dreams.
Life is full of setbacks and failure. Persistent people navigate through it without losing their sense of direction. They don’t fall apart when the plan doesn’t work, they adjust their approach and try again.
You can see that there are a lot of benefits to being a persistent person, but what if you’re not? How do you become more persistent?
While some are certainly more determined than others, persistence is a learnable skill, but it won’t be learned overnight. Building persistence is like building a muscle. The author and psychiatrist Angela Duckworth speaks about developing skills with deliberate practice. You have to put the reps in.
I was not a very persistent person. I have some qualities but persistence was not one of them. Here are the things that I have found to be the most helpful to me building persistence.
Big Goals
This is the first step for most things but is so underrated. Set clear, specific goals that matter to you. When setting goals think about why you picked them. Knowing why you are doing this will help your motivation when the obstacles arise.
Smaller Goals
Break your big goals into a bunch of smaller ones. Make them achievable steps that support your big goal. Acknowledge your wins, keep momentum, remember why you are doing this in the first place.
Good Habits
Start making good habits. Do the small stuff: fold your laundry, make the bed, have some pride in what you do. Have a daily list of tasks, complete everything you put on it.
Embrace Failure
The ups and downs are part of the process. Realize that failure is trying to teach you something. We are conditioned that failure must be avoided, but it just shows us what doesn’t work.
Track It
How is that persistence going? Find a way to track your progress. Reflect on your accomplishments. This reflection shows how far you’ve come, and can boost your motivation.
Self Care
Don’t burn yourself out. Persistence isn’t pushing through no matter what, and we don’t reach our big goals with erratic spurts. Give yourself breaks. Be positive. Encourage yourself during the tough times. Rest up and make sure that your mind is sharp. Progress is progress even when it is slow.
Keep Pushing
Persistence is the long game. When motivation seems out of reach remember why you are doing this. Practicing good self care and checking your progress along the way can help you find the motivation to reach your goals.
Persistence isn’t about perfection. There is self doubt, failure and numerous setbacks. Set clear goals, measure your progress and keep a positive mindset. Strengthening persistence will help you achieve more than you thought was possible.
