Perseverance is the difference between a fleeting notion and the pursuit of an idea. Our ability to persevere is another self-made wonder of the wondrous world.
Perseverance is not simply having an idea, it is moving forward in making the intangible idea into a tangible thing. It is a part of the means to the ends.
Dictionary.com defines perseverance thus:
noun
1.steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., especially in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement.
Perseverance is the course of action, the purpose – for example, choosing your own way. Making your own decisions and choices in regards to pursuing the destiny you most want to find.
I do not want to sit back and let my life just happen…I want to make it happen. I do not want others choosing for me…I want to make the choices. I do not want my emotions to be a result of the influences of the world around me…I want to choose how I will feel. I want, ultimately, to be content with my life, and happy with the choices I am making for it.
Yes, there will be bad days. You get doubtful, and frustrated when progress is not what you might desire it to be. But this is just a part of human nature. Even the happiest, most satisfied people in the world are not in that state absolutely all the time.
That is why you persevere. That is why you make the efforts you make, you strive for the journey and the ultimate goal. Ultimately, you want to be happy and satisfied, and that is worth striving for.
I look at the world in the way I have always wanted to. It is not a nightmare place filled with terrible people, tragedies and horrors…it is a world of endless possibilities, of good people, of possibilities and beauty and wonders. Yes, it is imperfect, yes there ARE all the bad things out there as well as the good, but I can see the world for all its positives more than its negatives.
Turning a blind eye to the adversities of the world? Wearing rose-colored glasses? NO. I see that there are horrid people and awful things in the world perfectly clearly. But I am not giving them my focus, not giving them my energies, not giving them my attentions and intentions. I am persevering instead to look at the good people and wonderful things in the world. And frankly, without those negatives, we would be incapable of seeing the positives.
I am persevering still. Are you?
(Note to the reader: If you also visit my blog, you will see that this week’s Pathwalking is a variation of this same post. I believe the topic of the self is so important, I wanted to spread it to a wider audience.)
I am MJ Blehart, “Wednesday’s Wondrous World” author and photographer (these shots are the progression of the hike up Camelback Mountain in Phoenix, Arizona). Every week I share a magical wonder of this amazing world, and I hope you will enjoy the journey with me!
Check out my blog, The Ramblings of a Titanium Don, for more of my work.
Also now available, Pathwalking: A 21st Century Philosophy in Book and Kindle form!
