Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 8:29 — 8.7MB) | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS | More
I am continuing to talk about the book Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. Today I will discuss the eighth step, Persistence, The Sustained Effort Necessary To Induce Faith. Once you turn belief into faith you will become unstoppable. Faith is an essential ingredient to accomplishing your goals and dreams. What does persistence mean? These 10 quotes will help you discover the meaning of persistence.
Do you feel like you could improve your life? Are you a confident person who knows what they want and gets it? If not, the solution is behind the button below.
The Meaning Of Persistence
Hill states that persistence is an essential factor in changing desire into its monetary equivalent. The basis of persistence is willpower. Titans of industry are often described as cold-blooded and ruthless. This is because they have the willpower to obtain their objectives. Henry Ford was described this way because of his habit of following through in all his plans with persistence.
“The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one time more.”
~ Thomas Edison
“The most essential factor is persistence – the determination never to allow your energy or enthusiasm to be dampened by the discouragement that must inevitably come.”
~ James Whitcomb Riley
Most people will quit and give up on their dreams at the first sign of failure. They lack the willpower and persistence to carry on when things aren’t going well. Many people are motivated to change their situation but few have the discipline to work at it day after day without seeing results. The small percentage who live on their terms and have achieved financial independence have persistence.
Belief Will Build Faith
These are the ones who begin with a desire to change their lives. They have a reason to make that change, the WHY. If their WHY is big enough, he will fight through every obstacle and be persistent in the pursuit of their desire. Persistence, when nothing seems to be working, will build the belief that they can change. As they continue being persistent, their belief will turn into faith. The ones who quit will never know what it’s like to have faith. What does persistence mean? It means working on your plan every day until you build faith.
“Success has a price tag on it, and the tag reads courage, determination, discipline, risk taking, perseverance, and consistency – doing the right things for the right reasons and not just when we feel like it.”
~ James M. Meston
“You just can’t beat the person who never gives up.”
~ Babe Ruth
What If I Am Not Persistent?
So what you do if you are weak in persistence? Firstly, you can set up a schedule and make sure that you work toward your desire every day. Doing anything is better than doing nothing. Probably the best method of becoming persistent is to set up a mastermind group. A person or persons in your group will help you stay on track. The group will be able to keep each other accountable.
“I do not think they is any other quality so essential to success of any kind as the quality of perseverance. It overcomes almost everything, even nature.”
~ John D. Rockefeller
“In the confrontation between the stream and the rock, the stream always wins – not through strength, but through persistence.”
~ Buddha
At the beginning of the year, I was very persistent. I was working towards my goals every day. One of the members of my mastermind group and I formed an accountability circle. We would talk every Monday and discuss the things we did during the week towards accomplishing our goals. This made persistence very easy because neither one of us wanted to disappoint the other. What does persistence mean? It means forming a mastermind group to keep each other accountable and on track.

No Substitute
There is no substitute for persistence. This is very important to remember at the beginning of your journey towards change. In this time when everything is difficult and slow, you might experience many failures. Through persistence, you recognize these failures as steppingstones to success. This will keep you from becoming disheartened and giving up which is the ultimate failure.
To obtain wealth or financial freedom you will have to develop a money mindset. If you’re struggling financially, it is because you have a poverty mindset. You focus more on bills and debt than you do on ways to increase your income. A money mindset is only developed through persistent effort. Thinking, speaking, and visualizing your financial freedom daily will change your situation.
“My greatest point is my persistence. I never give up in a match. However down I am, I fight until the last ball. My list of matches shows that I have turned a great many so-called irretrievable defeats into victories.”
~ Bjorn Borg
“Patience, persistence, and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success.”
~ Napoleon Hill
The Subconscious Mind
Our subconscious mind works every day all day. It’s working when you’re sleeping and it’s working when you’re awake. It’s picking up your words and thoughts and translating them into your reality. To change your reality you must be persistent in your words and thoughts. Speaking positive affirmations and wealth affirmations every day will reprogram your subconscious mind.
Persistence will lead to the discovery of new techniques and strategies in which to accomplish your desire. Persistent thoughts of wealth will lead to direct discoveries via the Internet or books etc. It will also lead to indirect discoveries such as social media posts, emails, meeting new people, etc. Being persistent in the pursuit of your desire will open you up to the unlimited universe we live in.
“History has demonstrated that the most notable winners usually encountered heartbreaking obstacles before they triumphed. They won because they refused to become discouraged by their defeat.”
~ B. C. Forbes
“You’re not obligated to win. You’re obligated to keep trying to do the best you can every day.”
~ Marina Wright Edelman
4 Simple Steps
Hill describes four simple steps to develop the habit of persistence. These four little steps can have an enormous change on your lifestyle. The four steps are:
- A WHY. Your definite purpose coupled with a burning desire to accomplish it.
- A definite plan in which you consistently put action to.
- Closing your mind to all negative and discouraging influences.
- Forming an alliance with one or more persons to keep you accountable.
That is it, that’s all it takes to develop a habit of persistence. Once you develop this habit your belief will grow until you develop faith. When you know the feeling of faith, you will know that nothing can stop you from achieving your desire. Your life is going to change for the better, it’s just a matter of time. What’s the meaning of persistence? It’s quite simple. Persistence equals SUCCESS.
Subscribe to my monthly newsletter and get your FREE Checklist For Success!
Cites
“Persistence, The Sustained Effort Necessary To Induce Faith” Think and Grow Rich: The Complete Classic Text, by Napoleon Hill, Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin, 2008, pp. 217-242.
💜 I Have Been Taught Many Things and “persistence” is One of Them; then I Remembered that Banging My Head Against Brick Walls DOESN’T WORK!!!
…💛💚💙…
That is true. I have destroyed many walls when there was a door close by. Noe I work smarter not harder.
💜 Down wid dat bro; jus’ seekin’ “doors” NOW!!!
…💛💚💙…
Accountability is so important. It’s easy to work slower than we can, or to be distracted and veer off course. Checking in regularly with others who care about us and have expertise in what we are trying to do will help us stay on track, and even climb towards our goals faster than we thought we could.
Thanks for sharing this important message.
Thank you. I always enjoy reading your comments. I hope all is well with you. Scott