Building Character: Developing the Trait of Persistence

23 de marzo, 2016

David Romero

Consejero Académico y Activista estudiantil

“Defeat doesn’t finish a man, quit does. A man is not finished when he’s defeated. He’s finished when he quits”.

~Richard M. Nixon

With the Olympic games just around the corner allow me the make the following analogy – Imagine you are running the marathon race in the Rio Olympics.  During this marathon you will be running for 26 miles with hundreds of other competitors.  You have prepared extensively for the 26 miles with effort, sweat, hard work, and dedication.  You are ready to compete for every single mile until the finish line.   During the day of competition you notice something happening as you move through the race.  Many other competitors are beginning to slow down.  You see some give up after 10 miles, others after 15 miles.  These competitors did not prepare for the full race.  Now that much of the competition has given up – is only you and a few other competitions left.  You are about to reach mile 22 of the race.  This is when you notice another curious thing happening – other runners are picking up their pace!  You wonder how other runners even have any energy left in them to pick up the pace – However, pick up the pace they do and you start to see who has truly prepared for the race. The runners racing with you on the last mile of the race have distinguished themselves because they have the stamina and discipline to keep fighting through fatigue and tiredness.  All of you have demonstrated a character quality that separates successful people from many others – PERSISTENCE.  It is the persistence to finish strong that finally takes you over to the finish line with the handful of runners still on the race.  

Running a marathon race is not that much different from your experience of being in school.  Think about it – you and your classmates started in the same manner.  Each month that has passed by can be considered a mile in the race.  It is at this point in the race that you have seen some of your classmates already give up.  Their bodies may be present in the classroom but their minds have already lost the race.  You see others starting to feel the burn and beginning to slow down, but you also see others entering the last mile picking up their pace.  Where do you find yourself at this point in the semester? Those students who demonstrate the ability to continue despite difficulty are revealing they possess the character quality of persistence.

But what is persistence and how do we develop it?  Persistence is simply the continuation in a course of action despite difficulty or opposition.  However, continuing despite difficulty or opposition is easier said than done.  Persistence to finish a race is developed like a muscle.  You must exercise everyday!  The persistence necessary to succeed in the big moments in our life develops over time when we conquered smaller day-to-day situations that require persistence.  For instance, persistence may be required from you today to finish your math, biology, or chemistry homework.  Persistence may be required from you today to help your parents clean the house even though you prefer to be playing video games.  Persistence may be required from you to prepare for a big exam.  Persistence may be required from you to finish strong this academic school year.

The important thing about developing a strong sense of persistence for yourself is that it will be always come to your aide when you face a difficult situation in the future.  No matter whether you find yourself having problems in college or your future professional career – you will be able to overcome situations easier than most people because you have developed a strong sense of persistence over time. 

The moral of the story is the following – You are about to enter the last mile of the academic year.  It is on this mile that you will demonstrate your commitment to your dreams.  Pick up the pace towards the finish line! ECHALE GANAS!

Resumen en Español:

• Aquellas personas que han demostrado la característica de  persistencia la han desarrollado de la misma manera que se desarrolla un musculo – con mucho esfuerzo, entrenamiento, y consistencia.

• Como estudiante tu puedes desarrollar esta cualidad haciendo cosas simples como: terminar tu tareas a tiempo, ayudar a tus padres a limpiar la casa, o estudiar para tus exámenes.  Estas acciones te ayudaran a desarrollar un sentido de persistencia que te ayudara en tu futuro académico y profesional.

• Otra manera en la cual puedes demonstrar tu persistencia es terminando bien lo que empezaste este año académico.  No te desamines y no te des por vencido.  Es ahora cuando debes demonstrar el compromiso que tienes para alcanzar tu sueños.

• Y como siempre – ECHALE GANAS

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