Closely connected to patience is perseverance .
Perseverance means never giving up in spite of all the difficulties. It means continuing one’s effort with patience till the goal is achieved.
When we undertake a job, it is not always easy. Obstacles appear and we have to face them. Sometimes we get disppointed and think of giving up the effort. We can never succeed if we do so. One should never leave one’s effort.
Perserverance will bring success. It knows no defeat or failure. It believes in going ahead no matter what the difficulties are. Even if the task is not to our liking we should go through with it without bothering wheather it is difficult or unpleasant. ‘Going through with a task’ means having perseverance.
Perseverance is required in every sphere of life whether it is to complete a difficult homework or to listen to a boring lecture or to climb up a high mountain peak. Great works are performed not by strength but by perseverance. Abraham Lincoln, one of the Presidents of U.S.A., was illiterate and Poor, but he studied with perseverance under electric poles on the roads. He rose to be the president of U.S.A.
When Columbus was sailing in search of the new world, he had to face furious storms. Not only this, his crew got rebellious and rose against him and revolted. He handled all these obstacles with patience and perseverance and one day touched the shores of the New World – the American continent.
All the early explorers had to face more or less similar or unfriendly situations. Sometimes it was the lack of food, at others it was impatience and anger of the fellowmen. But they all overcame these difficulties with patience and continued their efforts in the right direction untill they achieved their goal. They believed that “Nothing is denied to a well- directed labour.”
We see that patience and perseverance go together. If we are patient, we will persevere and the outcome shall be in our favour. Always remember the following lines:
“In storm and in sunshine,
Whatever avail,
We’ll go onward and conquer
And never say – fail.”
It is said of perseverance:
‘He that shall walk with vigour, three hours a day, will pass in seven years a space equal to the circumference of the earth.”
Such is the strength and power of perseverance.
You have some difficult problems in mathematics set for your homework. You find that they are really very hard and tiring. You don’t want to do them at all. You may think it would be simpler to have your father or tutor do the sums for you. But it would be worth if you tried on your own and applied your mind fully towards solving them. You would have a sense of satisfaction and achievement in solving them. It may not be all that easy, but your sincere application, dedication and endurance will help you solve some at least.
Therefore, do not look for excuses. Do not shun hard work. Force yourself to sit at your desk and complete the work. Keep on trying. Even if you solve one question yourself, it is worth it. You’ll find all that you need is patience and perseverance to solve many other problems. The rest will look easy. Keep at it. Only when you face very difficult situation, seek help from others.