By Charles Barnard
The last of the character traits I will write about is love perseveres. Love perseveres goes hand in hand with love hopes. When you have hope you will be far more likely to persevere. Faith also is a component of both love and perseverance.
A primary belief system of those who exhibit perseverance is the belief that there is no such thing as failure. People with this belief view each attempt at something as just that, an attempt. They got a result and if that result didn’t get the desired outcome they just learned valuable information that they can use to get them closer to their desired outcome. They then persevere.
Another belief system of the perseverant is the belief that their desired outcome is a foregone conclusion. They can vividly see the end and simply need to figure out the best path to get to that destination. They know they will get there. One person described it like being on a clear hill where they can easily see where they need to go, but they can’t see how well defined the trail is. As they look down they can see some of the potential obstacles to their destination, but they don’t know all the obstacles they will encounter as they embark on their journey. They just know where they are going and believe getting there is just a matter of putting one foot in front of the other. The perseverant keep that end clearly visible in their mind’s eye
Love’s ability to persevere is also connected to the strength of this emotion we call love. I might say, “I love being fit and active,” but given a challenging workout program will I persevere when it gets hard and uncomfortable? The answer to that question ultimately lies in how much I love the feeling of being fit. If I love the feeling that comes after a hard, grueling workout more than the pain of the workout, I am much more likely to persevere through the pain. The more I can associate with the pleasure of the desired outcome the more likely I will persevere and attain that outcome. That then begs the question, how do I control the extent or intensity of that “love”?
Love in this context essentially answers the question why am I doing this? I am doing it because I love it. The love in this context may be equated more to pure joy. Doing this activity, this behavior, makes you feel good so you keep doing it. If it stopped feeling good or you began to associate more to pain or discomfort that comes either while doing it or in aftermath of doing it you would likely stop doing it.
The idea of perseverance is rooted in the idea of continuing with an action or behavior even though that action or behavior in the moment is not producing joy or love. You are not loving it while you performing it, so what keeps you going? It is one part of the mind telling another part that the joy, satisfaction, or “love” will come when you have reached the desired outcome – when you have persevered. Simply put, if we do not have that big enough why, we will not persevere. If we don’t love enough, we will not persevere.
Time is also a factor in persevering. The shorter the time frame you need to overcome the negative feelings that are driving you to consider giving up the more likely you will persevere. When you cannot see an end to your misery in sight it becomes increasingly difficult to persevere.
Perseverance is about motivation and motivation ultimately is about love and faith. Do you truly love the outcome you think you do and do you have faith that will be attained. Is that desire – that love – for that outcome strong enough to get you through all the trials and tribulations you may encounter along the way? The tools for building that part of your mindset are the same as for any other.
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