13 Ways to Improve your Perseverance Quotient
Copyright 2005 Abi Motala
You may not have control over what happens to you in every
season or cycle of your life, but you most certainly have a
choice as to how you deal with everything that happens to
you. You may experience health problems, business
setbacks and personal difficulties, and have to face the
consequence of extensive devastation and loss of lives
caused either by the evil of man, such as 9/11 and the
bombs in London on the 7th July 2005, or natural calamity,
such as the tsunami of 26th December 2004.
It is your choice to view the glass as being half-empty and
wallow in self-pity by letting your grief and misfortune
get the better of you by taking the easy way out. Instead,
as a disciple of perseverance you can adopt a positive
mental attitude. Your rescue will start with viewing the
glass as being half-full, and your recovery from the trials
and tribulations of every cycle of your life will continue
with your efforts to make a difference in this hurtful
world.
You know that IQ measures raw intelligence. Well,
Perseverance Quotient or PQ measures your "staying power".
Here are 13 ways in which you can improve your PQ:
1. Take Responsibility for Yourself
You must deal a deadly blow to the single greatest cause of
human misery, which is the myth or false belief that our
life is governed by some secret, external force. For some,
this mythical, hidden force may be race, religion, gender,
upbringing, social class, education, physical features or
handicaps, and even their parents.
2. Select Positive Influences
You must intentionally select positive re-enforcements.
When you purchase books and audio tapes, films and other
media for your entertainment, you must seek those with
strong, uplifting themes. Select those which nurture your
spirit.
3. Manage your Stress
The word stress evokes scenes of breakdown, unhappiness and
disruption of normal body functioning. Actually, stress is
the effect of any external, physical or mental pressures on
your well-being. The primary causes of stress are anxiety
and tension, which may arise through different events or
conditions, such as money hardship, job/business problems,
moving home, sexual difficulties, loss of friendship,
loneliness, demise of a loved one, marriage failure, tax
investigation etc.
4. Healthy Living
Healthy living is crucial for you because your energy and
stamina are necessary for perseverance. You need to be in
top form for focus, resilience, self-confidence, optimism,
clarity and intensity.
5. Be True to Yourself
In order to be true to yourself, you must know who you are.
To do that successfully, you must nurture self-knowledge
through self-searching, contemplation, meditation,
observation, and reflection.
6. Seek the Best Source of Advice
When seeking advice, you must consider the source very
carefully. If you want to shorten the distance from
perseverance to achievement, you want to learn from the
mistakes of others, rather than repeating them yourself.
And you want to use the methods that have brought others
the success you seek.
7. Avoid Inaction Alibi
Planning paralysis is a very real hazard when you set out
to develop your plan to such a level of detail that you are
unable to take action. Beware! You can only gather so much
information and define so many steps towards the
realisation of your dream. To make it happen, sooner or
later you must put that plan into action.
8. Plan your Work
When you have identified and set your goals you will need a
plan to turn your vision into reality. Planning is a vital
step in getting what you desire. I have met people with
extraordinary goals and even well written goal scripts, but
they never developed a plan for putting them into action.
It is not surprising that their goals were never
accomplished.
9. Eliminate Counter-productive Habits
Firstly, you must identify the counter-productive habits or
thoughts that you would like to discontinue. Then dump
them!!! You must focus on what you can do, not what you
cannot do.
10. Forgive Yourself and Others
You must willingly forgive yourself and others. Do this for
your own sake, and for your own peace of mind. Harbouring
grudges, disapproval, hatred or disappointment can poison
your spirit of perseverance.
11. Take Reasonable Risks
You must not be afraid to take reasonable risks. Without
risk, there is no reward. Risk management is more important
than risk avoidance. Risk avoidance dampens the spirit,
undermining the will to persist in the face of obstacles
and reversals.
12. Get Support
You deserve to be around people supportive of your
aspirations. All good psychologists, counsellors, coaches
and teachers will tell you that you must have exposure to a
positive environment.
13. Do not Quit
When you feel yourself slipping, remember the people who
overcame failures and rejections to achieve their dreams.
People like Thomas Edison, Ray Kroc, Colonel Sanders,
Charles Schulz, Arnold Schwarzenegger and the endless list
of other persistent great achievers, who found that success
inevitably arrives for every person who perseveres.
Although life is not an unending succession of problems and
crises, you must nevertheless accept that problems have
their time and purpose. Consequently, by increasing your PQ
you will equip yourself, whatever your circumstance, not
only to avoid becoming a victim of that circumstance, but
also to face up to your fears with a resolute refusal to be
beaten into submission.
This article is written by Abi Motala, CEO of Vista
Information Publishing Ltd. Having spent 30 years in
business, Abi has experienced enough traumas to last him
several lifetimes. He has been driven to the edge of the
abyss on numerous occasions, and he has personally tasted
the bitter frustration of failure. You can get more info
at:
http://www.vipinfoweb.com/howtopersevere
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