When things become tough, either at work or life in general, it is not the time to waiver. Throwing in the towel is never a good option according to experts. Instead, persevering to the end usually reaps great rewards. At times, the road to success is not a bed of roses; it takes hard work and patience to build-up and make one solely responsible for their progress. The only way out is to keep determined long enough, which is all about perseverance, which can lead to one achieving their potential. Perseverance simply means one is committed to their goals as a skill to enhance their goal’s value and intensify one’s motivation level. Prince Aime Lionel Murara, the deputy national coordinator in charge of operations and partnership in Education for Nations and Humanitarian Africa (ENHA) says on many occasions, it is believed that with perseverance skills, anyone regardless of their academic achievements can survive in any organisation as well as achieve their goals in the long run. Just like the saying - perseverance is failing 19 times and succeeding the 20th, he believes that through perseverance many people win success out of what seemed destined to be certain failure. For instance, Murara points out that at the workplace when one is persevering, it automatically leads them to wonderful findings, and most importantly, broadens their knowledge about themselves and their goals. “With all these, it means that you are committed to achieving the goals you set, whether big or small. For this reason, determination and perseverance are the key to a successful life,” he says. Dr Andrew E. Ivang from the Department of Clinical Biology – Huye campus, University of Rwanda believes that although perseverance requires a level of patience, it’s just a matter of time before one starts seeing the results. “People who have a mindset of always persevering simply go further in life. The reason for this is because a hard worker not only achieves all their goals, even if a lot of time will be invested, but will also understand the struggles and the dedication that it takes to succeed,” he says. Still at the workplace, Ivang says that perseverance means attempting to resolve issues with challenging co-workers, spending time to research a case or file, and being able to stay focused on long-term goals such as a promotion. In this case, he notes that thinking about how your coursework will help you cultivate perseverance will be a great strength to showcase in an interview. In addition, experts believe that being able to specifically demonstrate focus on long-term goals will make one that much more appealing to future employers, and more confident in their own abilities. Building your perseverance skills When you build your perseverance skills, Murara says it gives one self-confidence. In fact, it increases one’s sense of self-worth and confidence. To achieve this, he says one should start by taking full ownership of the goals they have set to achieve by becoming a firm believer that the way to success is hard work. He also notes that for one to build on their perseverance skills there is need to heighten their motivation. For him, this simply means that if you can persevere in any circumstance, you are committed to your goal, therefore, this helps enhances the goal’s value for you and intensifies your motivation level. Ivang adds that taking risks is another way of building your perseverance skills. Explaining that by learning to take risks, one raises the probability of facing more difficult situations. “When in difficult situations, if you can learn to adapt and understand what steps are necessary to keep the company or organisation moving in the right direction, one can grow not only as individual but as a team,” he says, adding that it’s important for one to build on a network support. Building network support helps one learn how to persevere, this includes building a network of support that includes family, friends, co-workers, and peers which will allow one to have a comfortable place to open up and get feedback and encouragement during hard times.
