Public Spark

Sir Isaac Newton

• Focus on your goal

  The definition of perseverance includes the word persistence. Therefore, one way to persevere is to persistently focus on your goal. Tiger Woods became one of the greatest golfers of all time, by focusing on his goal since youth. Even as a professional, he showed tremendous ability to focus. In this year’s U.S. Open, Tiger Woods never gave up on winning another major tournament despite his knee injury. The strength and resilience displayed by this professional golfer captivated golf fans all over the world. Not only does this idea exist with athletes, but also in academics. Sir Isaac Newton was asked how he discovered the law of gravity and he replied “By thinking about it all the time.”

• Accept failures as learning experiences

  Confucius, a famous social philosopher once said, “Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising every time we fail.” Mistakes and failures are inevitable and essential part of the learning experience. It is the best tool to help us think of innovative solutions. We become stronger and wiser with each mistake. Soichiro Honda, founder of Honda Motor Company, Ltd. once said, “Many people dream of success. To me success can be achieved only through repeated failure and introspection. In fact, success represents the 1 percent of your work that results from 99 percent that is called failure.”

• Be patient

  Perseverance is not giving up even when there is no immediate satisfaction. There will be challenging obstacles in the way of achieving your goals. Understand that the most rewarding experiences come from these challenges. There is no value that can be placed on the process of moving towards a seemingly impossible goal. Earl Graves, Founder of Black Enterprise Magazine once said, “Overnight the impossible may not be possible. But over time, the impossible certainly becomes possible.”