How to be persistent

We often do not want to do what needs to be done. Fortunately, there is a way to overcome this reluctance, albeit a difficult one.

It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do anything if you’re not ready to do the entire task today or to do your best. Instead of giving up immediately and postponing all tasks until tomorrow, think: is there anything you can do right now? Let it be a small and insignificant part of the whole task; the main thing is that it should bring you at least a little bit closer to your goal.

Where you can choose between inaction and little action, always choose action, whatever it may be. And so that persistence does not turn into its distorted version — stubbornness, it is always necessary to remember what you are working for. After all, when we acquire something, we unavoidably give our effort, time, and some opportunities, for example, a chance to take a spontaneous trip). Therefore, always be aware of the relevance of your goal so that you can calculate your strengths and set your immediate priorities correctly.

I never make excuses or lie to myself, and neither should you. Yes, self-deception is a natural psychological defense, but it is possible to do at least something even when you are not at your best or circumstances are not on your side. Any mastery is, first and foremost, an effort to change the status quo. To prove this, psychologist Anders Ericsson conducted a curious experiment in Berlin where еун divided music academy students into potential stars, promising musicians, and mediocre ones.

Given that all students started playing at around the same age (five years old) and knowing how many hours each student studied per week, Ericsson found that each intermediate student spent no more than 4,000 hours studying in their lifetime. The promising student spent about 8,000 hours, and the future stars spent more than 10,000 hours. Thus, only when a person accumulates at least 10,000 hours of practice they become a master of their craft. The experiment proves that it’s time to stop talking about talent and innate ability as the causes of skill and success — it’s all about the amount of effort. You can make a thousand excuses for the lack of talent and bad luck, which prevents success, and you can improve yourself 24 hours a day and win against all odds. It’s up to you.