By Remez Sasson
“Knowing trees, I understand the meaning of patience. Knowing grass, I can appreciate persistence. “- Hal Borland
If you read attentively the above quote, you will learn a lot about patience and persistence, and with a little deeper thinking, you will see their importance in your life.
Trees need time to grow, and therefore, they symbolize patience.
It is the same with you. You need time to achieve goals, especially big goals, and this requires patience. If you are too impatient, desiring to have immediate results, you might be disappointed and quit your goal.
You have to study, improve yourself, change your mindset, and work toward your goal. You have to water your goal with ambition, motivation and effort, so that it will come true, just as you need to water a tree.
Most trees need years to grow and become big trees. Big goals also need time, and you therefore, need patience, just like a tree.
If you don’t possess enough patience, you need to develop it. It is a skill that can be developed like any other skill.
- You need patience to come to a point, where you can speak fluently a foreign language.
- You need patience to graduate from school, college or the university.
- You need patience to learn and progress with meditation.
- You need patience to shape your body.
Patience is very closely related to self-discipline. If you possess self-discipline, you also have patience, and vice versa. If you strengthen your self-discipline, you also strengthen your patience.
Now read the second part of the above-mentioned quote:
“Knowing grass, I can appreciate persistence.”
Grass often grows through concrete. It can also grow on rocks. It possess persistence, the ability to continue and not quit, until it finds a way to emerge outside, in the sun and air. Can you compare your efforts to grass? Do you continue what you start, until you accomplish it, no matter what obstacles are on your way?
It is so easy to quit when you confront obstacles and opposition, but you feel a great feeling of satisfaction, when you don’t give up and when you win. Every person meets obstacles on the way, but only those who don’t let the obstacles discourage them, ultimately win and achieve success. This applies to career, sports, learning, and everything else.
Persistence is a sign of inner strength and of strong character. Without it, you cannot make any progress. It is ability that makes a person a winner against all odds. It is the person who keeps going that wins. Success could be just so close, and just a little more time and effort are required.
There is a great feeling of achievement, when you persist and don’t give up! When you persist, you go the whole way, and don’t turn back after a few steps. Only those that keep going reach their destination.
How do you develop persistence?
By going on with your plans and goals, and not giving up when you face obstacles or problems.
What can help you to manifest more persistence?
You can strengthen your persistence by strengthening your willpower and self-discipline. This can be done by practicing simple exercises, which you can do at any time and place. This is clearly outlined in the book Willpower and self-discipline, available through this website.
You can get this book with a discount, if your purchase it together with the book “How to Focus Your Mind.” For details, please click here.
Remez Sasson is an author and blogger. He is the founder of SuccessConsciousness.com, a website and blog about self improvement and spiritual growth.
Remez Sasson is the author of several life transforming books, containing a wealth of information, advice and guidance.
Sometimes, people are losing patience, maybe because they want to achieve quickly what do they really want in life. Life is tough, every day of our lives is like rolling tires that keeps on circling, and if we know how to deal with it patiently, we can achieve what we want perfectly.
I must congratulate you on your article. This is so inspiring to me. I have been trying to exercise patience in my life around four months now. I always quit ever so often when obstacle meet me on my journey along the road to my goals. I found out few months ago that I can not run away from my fears and from dangerous obstacles. I need to fight them, otherwise I will never achieve my goals.
I have career goal and other personal goals. I am actively completing my degree. My plan last year was to leave my previous job and get a job that is more in depth in accounting and auditing so I got a job with an accounting firm close to home. During the first six months of my training I was so frustrated. My boss was so miserable and angry at everything I do. I felt that my whole world was falling apart. Many days I felt as if I should just walk away and never look back, but considering my many financial debts I had no choice but to stay.
One morning I met with the Lord in prayer. I discussed the many issues with him. It was as though I could hear his voice; he told me to be patient and persistent, because that is only way I will be able to achieve my goals.
Thank you for encouraging me and others!
This is a great article, reminds me of famous quotation of Thomas Edison, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work”. We really need to work hard, persevere, and be patient enough. We have to keep trying, trusting and praying. Success is just around the corner, all we need to do is to patiently wait for the time of our lives.
You are quite right Pam. Success is often just around the corner, and therefore, we have to persevere and stay patient.
Thanks you so much for very good articles written by u it helps me in day to day life to handle the situation. I am very good friend of you. please do keep on writing.
Again Thank u so much .
Thanks for this really nice article Remez. If someone regularly pursues his goals and objectives with patience and persistence, success is guaranteed… but people do tend to give up early in the game and loose it. Those who never give up in life ever are bound to succeed in all their endeavors in life..