Personal development - perseverance

Perseverance

Even the tallest tower got started from the ground. - Chinese Proverb

The ancient Chinese sage Lao Tzu set down laws of effective living that he developed after years of meditation and careful observations of the varieties of lives around him. He called his invaluable teaching the Tao Te Ching or How Things Work. Many of his teachings reflected the effects of diligence and perseverance. One meaningful example is described in "The Ripple Effect" from the Tao.

Lao Tzu

Michelangelo

Can this "bigger picture" offer inspiration for greater perseverance? An old adage states, "nothing worth doing ever comes easily." Enthusiasm and determination, combined with diligence and optimism, can help us achieve success. Many avenues of opportunity are available for developing our many and unique talents and abilities. This means making a commitment to developing self-discipline and persisting until the goal is met.

At some point in our lives, we may have experienced the feeling that we failed in some way. But upon reviewing a situation, we might recognize that, at the time, we gave our best. Later on, we may decide that we could have made more effort or approached the situation differently. We can use the opportunity to review a situation objectively and to learn from the experience. Failure is an event, not a person.

Although we strive to do our best, it is important to remember that the outcome of a particular situation may no always be in our control. How we respond, however, is in our control.

Constant dripping wears away a stone - Greek proverb

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