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Previous        Next What makes those who succeed different than those who fail? It is not failure that prevents success but the refusal to continue to try when failure occurs. Those who quit after a failed attempt are not likely to succeed. Those who keep trying no matter how many painful rejections or frustrating failures they experience are more likely to achieve their goals.

People who persist have a higher likelihood of success in life (Anderson and Bergman, 2011). Researchers Duckworth and colleagues (2007) showed through a series of studies that those individuals who have “grit” which they defined as “perseverance and passion for long-term goals” were more likely to succeed at their goals than someone who was equally talented but did not possess grit. The particular characteristic of grit that was associated with success was not how hard someone worked but how long they worked. The more time put into pursuing a goal indicated the likelihood of success.

Want to be successful? Determine your talent and your passion and pursue it. Persist. Persist and create a billion dollar empire after your book is rejected twelve times (J.K. Rowling and her Harry Potter series). Persist and become the “King” of rock and roll after failing auditions to join bands, being rejected after auditioning for a national televised talent show, and being told by the manager of the Grand Ole Opry “You ain't going nowhere, son. You ought to go back to driving a truck” (Elvis Presley). Persist and invent a world changing product after 1000 failed attempts (Thomas Edison and the light bulb). Persist and be listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the best-selling book that was rejected 121 times (Robert M. Pirsig and “Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance”).

Whatever your goals are, you are more likely to achieve them if you keep trying. Persist. No matter the odds.