Perseverance

Who knows what lurks in the mind of this wayfarer?  Little by little over time thoughts surface and find the portal through which all may have a glimpse.  There are many thoughts left to ruminate behind the curtain that veils the entrance to the wondering intruder.  I like to think it’s much like a crock-pot that simmers away for many hours to meld the rich flavors together in harmonious, delectable sensations that delight the olfactory senses, in anticipation of satisfying the salivating taste buds.  Okay, that may be a little overstated, though one can suppose it depends on the discrimination of those peering in.  And so it is this wayfarer engages discrimination in what segment of inner musings and thoughts to thrust upon the unsuspecting public.

After careful deliberation and assessment the choice has been made to release a sampling of perseverance.  Perseverance is that bull dog that simply will not let go and continues to hang on until the mission is accomplished.  Giving a dash of “stick-to-it-ism” along with a pound of determination, combined with tenacity one can achieve their destiny.  This doesn’t come easy as there are so many distractions along the journey that compels many to let go.  But like the bull dog we must lock onto that purpose and not relax the “jaw muscles”.

It would seem that few have the gumption to press forward to the attainment of their goal.  Perhaps there may be other ingredients missing, such as discipline and fortitude.  However those who do have these qualities are richly rewarded.  They are the ones who have counted the cost and assessed the value of the reward to be achieved.  They have been willing to pay the cost because they know the end results will be worth the investment.

“Yeah, yeah, that’s great for you but it simply doesn’t work for me.”  Is there really any merit to such a statement?  We can take two individuals with contrasting dispositions, where one has all the traits to enable them to persevere, and the other person falls short of them.  The person succeeding has the mindset that anyone can accomplish such a feat, where as the person of the opposing viewpoint may claim they don’t have the right DNA or genes that would propel them to like achievements.  This begs the question does DNA, gene pool or pre-dispositions have any bearing in such determination?  Also what does one’s personal environment, upbringing or inter-relations play in this matter, if any?

Ok, there’s a reason why these comments are called “Inner Musings and Thoughts of a Wayfarer…”  One does not require empirical data to “muse” and though yours truly likes to present accurate information the purpose of this little exercise is merely meant to give differing viewpoints for you to ponder upon.  Is there in fact any scientific studies on this (and I suppose there probably is)?  Where is the empirical data to support or disprove these hypotheses?

Of course one could argue that the reason one lacks perseverance is simply his unwillingness to apply the principles that would enable achievement.  That may be totally true.  But on the other hand I’m reminded that Jesus made a statement that you will always have the poor with you.  Okay, that may not hold water in this argument but I believe it merits a little bit of consideration in this internal debate.

There’s no doubt in my mind that anyone can achieve some amount of success with perseverance, but the degree in which this is applied varies from person to person.  What may seem easy for one to achieve another finds extremely difficult.  This is not to imply that perseverance is ever “easy” for anyone to accomplish, but surely it is “easier” for some than others.

The question for consideration is:  are we prone to judge the “under achiever”, or try to understand why they are and offer them assistance?  In respect to that what kind of assistance, if any, should be offered?

Well, the answer has not been forthcoming in this missive, but hopefully there’s some good food for thought.  Which are you, the one who perseveres or one who gives in?  Just a last thought:  is one who “over-achieves” one who perseveres, or is this the result of some other “malady” entirely?  Shalom.