If you want to know why persistence is a necessary characteristic in leadership and in business then check out this video.
I know from personal and painful experience that this can be exactly how it feels when you decided to start a business.
As the Chinese proverb says “If you get up one more time than you fall, you will make it through”. And it’s persistence that allows us to get up one more time and go again.
But where does persistence come from?
It can come from the desire and strength of purpose that drives us to get up and go again.
It can come from belief in the plan, that this is just a temporary set back, and this if you regroup and try again you will succeed.
It can come from our belief in our own abilities and products. you believe that we will figure it out, find a way, a better way that will lead to you to triumph.
Or it can come from the belief of others who encourage you, cheer you, letting you know that you are progressing that with one more attempt you will make that breakthrough.
Without persistence, you will fail. Any goal that is worth achieving is always going to give you challenges, small setbacks, which will make you question yourself. Frustrate you and possibly diminish your enthusiasm.
Here’s a list of 10 authors who got knocked back over 20 times and still got up and gave it one more shot.
When you look at the list it’ hard to believe that these, many of which went on to be International Best Sellers and some famous movies, could possibly have been rejected.
- Jack Canfield, Chicken Soup for the Soul: 144 rejections.
- Robert Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: 121 rejections.
- Kathryn Stockett, The Help: 60 rejections
- Stephen King, Carrie: 30 rejections from publishers.
- John Grisham, A Time to Kill: 28 rejections.
- Dr. Seuss, And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street: 27 rejections
- Frank Herbert, Dune: 23 rejections
- Joseph Heller, Catch-22: 22 rejections.
- William Golding, Lord of the Flies: 21 rejections
- Richard Hooker, MASH: 21 rejections
Rejection and failure isn’t always personal, although it feels like it.
Sometimes you just haven’t found your audience, your market and to give up would be a disservice to both yourself and your yet to be discovered market.