Your ability to persevere through tough times is one of your most valuable assets. The courage to keep going - to pursue your dreams, find a new job or change careers - calls for tenacity you probably don’t even know you have. Your determination to stay the course, even when nothing seems to be happening, will help you prevail.

We’ve all heard inspiring stories of people who endured and pressed on in spite of setbacks. Thomas Edison held over 1,500 patents worldwide, including the photograph, radio and the electric light bulb. He persisted through untold attempts at invention until he succeeded. He observed, “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”

Three keys to your success:

1. Don’t give up - easy to say, hard to do sometimes. It takes faith and courage to keep on keeping on - until you’ve landed that job, moved your business along, discovered the right work, found a way through. Giving up on one direction and following a new path only makes sense if the original pursuit no longer has meaning and substance. For further reading - Seth Godin wrote a little gem of a book, The Dip: a little book that teaches you when to quit (and when to stick). I recommend it.
2. Stay the course by committing and recommitting to your vision - continually. It’s what Benjamin Disraeli meant by, “The secret of success is constancy to purpose.” Dedicate yourself to your goal and to the considerable accomplishment it represents - even when hope seems in short supply.
3. Develop a sound search strategy and a working plan. Without these tools, it can feel like you’re traveling down a dark road without enough light or a decent map. Think about your approach strategically, find the right support and resources, work your plan. We’ll cover winning strategies in greater detail in the days ahead.

Bottom line: Persevere. Give this gift to yourself. An unknown author wisely wrote, “The greatest oak was once a little nut who held its ground.”

Today’s question

What keeps you going when you feel like giving up?