Indefatigable Perseverance: What it Takes to Win on Medium.com

How to develop the discipline needed for success as a writer

The quality of character known as perseverance calls for the self-discipline of a high order. Few can attain it.

Perseverance is required if you are a student at a high-pressure school or want success at starting a business or becoming a successful writer on Medium.com.

As I have discovered as a beginning writer on Medium.com, perseverance is critical. You compete with thousands of other writers for a piece of the ever-expanding (for now) subscriber fund.

Coping with Frustration and Doubt

I am ridden with doubt and frustration as progress, at least for me, is painfully slow.

The challenge of striving on this platform feels familiar; I struggled in the past with getting a Ph.D., stopping smoking, losing weight, and starting an online business; all had periods of difficulties.

There are times when you want to admit defeat; So far, I have not quit because I do not want to disappoint others’ expectations; I want to honor my commitment to becoming a writer; I need to keep at it to improve my skills.

The Need for Persistence

It seems like achieving any worthy goal takes indefatigable persistence. And it takes putting up with the doubt, discouragement, and sheer annoyance of dealing with temporary setbacks.

And it would help if you dealt with the weakening effects of low self-confidence plus questions about one’s efficaciousness in operating in this domain. Have I left out the growing sense of futility?

The activity of striving itself creates a sense of the need for indefatigableness. What does it take? Let me give an example from another field.

Small Steps Forward

I made slow progress when I was learning to make sales calls in real estate years ago. As I slowly improved, the improvement aroused a craving for increased gain. I felt pushed to be better.

Ultimately, I hit a lull with few hints of progress; this tested my faith that I wanted what I wanted. In effect, ambition took a holiday, and the work’s frustration and disappointment remained.

I had some success, but it was short-lived, and I began to worry that it might not come back.

Some early success, or any success, expands one’s capability for indefatigableness. Your willingness to persevere is given a surge of energy by even the slightest signs of progress.

Leveraging Small Successes

So, a little success works to build the willingness to continue. What else can help develop or build perseverance?

I find the words you use play a role in boosting your efforts. Hence it is helpful to apply a vocabulary of inspiration and achievement. Words like sedulous, conscientious, and rectitudinous have become my watchwords.

They tend to fire me up with new energy and determination, as with my experience with weight loss. When I came close to giving up the effort, I found a new resolve by implementing the rich language of effort and achievement.

Some projects demand ongoing and relentless effort.

Desensitization

An extra mechanism by which indefatigableness is achieved comes from the anesthetizing effect of repeated failure. One becomes indifferent to the negativity of repeated exposure to rejection or failure.

You lose sensitivity; you become inured or insensible. The frustration and wish to stop fall away.

I have built up a file of quotes that speak to sustaining effort and reliance in facing adversity. These, too, help with building up perseverance. Here are a few of my favorites.

“All who act upon their highest motivations become a power for good.”

“When you at last give your life to bringing into alignment your beliefs and the way you live…then can you begin to find inner peace.”

“Never think of any right effort as fruitless.” …..Peace Pilgrim

These and other quotes have served me in the past when encountering new challenges. The most vital base for keeping on in the face of adversity is a deep-seated sense of mission or vision.

As I have detailed elsewhere in other essays, this mission is one of devoting your efforts to building up self-respect.

Self-respect is the first step to achieving confidence and success in life. To stand for yourself and your dignity is self-respect; Lou Rawls states that “self-respect requires believing that one’s life plan is worth pursuing and that one can successfully pursue it.”

Substitute ‘projects’ for a ‘life plan,’ and you have more usefully applied energy-arousing terminology for moving ahead in the face of adversity.

In sum: To keep going in the face of few satisfactions, it helps to have some tenacity and perseverance. These can be created by dwelling on small successes, developing insensitivity to setbacks; implementing a language of inspiration and success; and drawing on empowering quotes on perseverance.