Perseverance: The Only Way to Embrace Your Future

As we approach the end of the third quarter, I can truly say I am having the time of my life. I just celebrated a birthday and I have accomplished some major goals in my life. It’s an exciting time for me as I reflect on my journey, plan for the future, and make uncommon progress. While you may not be exactly where you want to be at this point in the year, the reality is that you have to keep pushing. What I know from decades of experience is that you will never possess anything you are unwilling to press for. These insights will help you to persevere and live the life of your dreams.

1. You have to stop making excuses. Ultimately, the third quarter will come to a close in just a few weeks. You can blame everything and everybody for the lack of results in your life. Or you can take personal responsibility for where you are in your life. Responsibility and accountability are master keys to success. Furthermore, excuses are the shrines that we build to a second-class life. If you continue to accommodate excuses you will never create an extraordinary life. Your excuses may bring you a sense of comfort. However, your excuses will never produce the change you want to see in your life. Own up to your failures so that you can ultimately own your future. You cannot afford to allow your excuses to extinguish your dreams and obscure your vision.
2. You must guard aggressively against fatigue and weariness. As someone who knows a lot about goal setting and achieving your dreams, I can tell you from personal experience that accomplishing your goals is never easy. It requires great focus and great fervency to embrace your future. I cannot tell you how many times I have been tempted to give up or quit over the years. However, I allowed my vision to become so big in me that it silenced doubt and uprooted despair. As we come into the ninth month of this year, I know that you can feel the fatigue and some of you may even feel weary. This is not the time to give up or throw in the towel. You must find your ‘why’ and be willing to contend for it at all costs. Now is the time to muster up the strength to push beyond stubborn problems and barriers and seize breakthroughs in every area of your life. The only cure for fatigue and weariness is a renewed commitment to your vision.
3. You must develop a forward mindset. Regardless of what has happened over the last three months, you cannot manifest more for your life without a made-up mind. Faulty thinking will never result in a fruitful life. Moreover, defeated thinking will never produce a victorious life. As someone who has suffered many setbacks and failures in life, I have always found the courage to come back and try again. The only way into your future is forward. Therefore, you must develop a forward mindset if you want to fulfill your purpose and realize your greatest potential. A forward mindset is not oblivious to obstacles. A forward mindset simply refuses to be blinded by barriers, crippled by constraints, or defined by difficulties. A forward mindset always finds a way to thrive and always finds a way through. A forward mindset is preoccupied with victory and does not entertain any possibility of defeat. Your thoughts are framing your future. You might as well frame a future filled with possibilities!
4. You must possess the quality of perseverance. I’ve shared some great insights with you in this piece. However, without this last piece, you will be limited and experience only a small measure of success. As a highly respected thought leader, my life and work are recognized all around the world. People are always asking me for the key to my success. While I believe that many factors have contributed to my success, I believe that perseverance has been one of the pillars of my success. Too often we see perseverance as simply the ability to keep pushing. On the other hand, I see perseverance as the determination to never give up and never give in. In other words, it is a resilience of spirit that refuses to stop short of success. I talk to so many people who have great potential to do great things with their lives. However, when I look for the quality of perseverance in their lives this quality is lacking. I cannot tell you the number of times I have been let down and knocked down in life. I could have stayed down and given up. If I did quit, you would have never heard of me, people around the world would have never gotten the chance to read my books and leaders would have never been impacted by my life. The reason I got back up and tried against was because I saw all the lives that would be impacted by my decision to give up. Your life is bigger than you. Your commitment to destiny will be the catalyst for many people living their dreams. You owe it to yourself and those who will be impacted by you to persevere and become a powerful demonstration of what is possible. Perseverance is never easy but it will produce an exceptional life.