“In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun,
you find the fun, and SNAP the job’s a game!”                                      – P.L Travers wrote this for Mary Poppins [ref 1], a children’s series.

It might sound quite overtly positive to many at once but what a smart tip to go about things when we may feel stuck at something, which well, let’s be honest, happen every now and then with almost everything that we set to do!

It could be one of those tasks which need to be done or something that we want to achieve, understand or excel at. We may fail with several attempts in trying to find our way through it and there might be moments when some aspects seem insurmountable. One quite natural reaction is to feel discouraged and give up, the other possibility is to face this disappointment, accept the failure, learn something from it and retry. The latter is harder and requires more courage and a stronger resolve. Also, it need not be a one-time success and hence may require repeating the trials more than several times. Such a loop of determined choice of not giving up and to keep trying in spite of the obstructions and challenges is to- ‘persevere’.

In the quest of acquiring excellence in any matter of interest, as inevitable these failures are, so much more than essential perseverance is. And In the process of persevering it is only consequential that we can truly grow because the chances are that even while failing multiple times we keep gaining more and more familiarity with the limiting factors that keep us from crossing that ‘block line’. There are unavoidable learnings (even if it may seem like a tiny progress or none, in a particular context) and there is assured attaining of slightly deeper insight each time. And often, one of those times turns out to be a ‘key’ in ‘realizing’ how to surmount that insurmountable. Even technically speaking this longer process is truly worth it because the knowledge gained through it is never really lost.

Mankind* carries thousands of historical examples and millions of everyday instances that prove this human virtue to be one most  effective ways to thrive.

Let us pick three of such human examples**(one can of course think of so many other great examples and find their own personal inspirations), so that next time we may be facing a blockade and tending to give up, some of these may remind us that the only satisfying way to face our failures is to simply stick to the task no matter what.

1) Stephen W. Hawking [ref.2]- a renowned physicist of our times, Fellow of the Royal Society, Dirac medal winner, had a rare early-onset slow-progressing form of motor neuron disease that gradually paralysed him over decades. In spite of such a severe physical disability he daunted through life and pursued his studies and interestingly enough he is historically known for his contributions to modern cosmology and theoretical physics. An amazing thinking mind with a sharp sense of humour his example shall inspire the generations to come.

                                                                                                         Stephen W. Hawking, Image source- Wikipedia

2) Dashrath Manjhi [ref. 3]- A poor labourer in Gehlaur village in India is another incredible example. Deeply disturbed by the death of his wife while she was crossing the Gehlour hills, he decided to cut a path through the hills so that his village could have easier access to medical attention. He carved a path 110 m long, 7.7 m deep in places and 9.1 m wide to form a road through the rocks in Gehlour hill. He literally hammered and cut through the hills and completed this work in 22 long years with a single-minded resolve, while people called him a lunatic. He is now known as the ‘Mountain Man’ who exemplified sheer perseverance and its ‘unrealistic’ capacities.

                                                                                                           Dashrath Manjhi. Image source – Wikipedia.

3) ***Chuck Noland [ref. 4.]- from the celebrated movie “Cast Away” directed by Robert Zemeckis and protagonist character played by Tom Hanks. FedEx employee Chuck Noland’s plane crashes, he ends up stranded on a deserted tropical island for four years, Chuck perseveres and adapts to the island’s harsh living conditions being the only human staying there. He becomes adept at spearing fish and making fires and survives through all those testing days. Continuously working on a plan to return to the regular world, in spite of many hardships, failures and humanly weak moments of disappointments. He doesn’t give up and keeps at his courageous attempts of traveling through the cruel sea with a raft he constructed using available remnants and finally finds his way back to civilization.

             Tom Hanks in the role of Chuck Noland in the movie “Cast Away”.Image source- Youtube.

All the three examples above testify a saying from Stephen Hawking -“However difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at. It matters that you don’t just give up.”

Perseverance is indispensable and it is due to acquire excellence in anything that one may choose to do. So let’s say – be it that difficult math problem, or that unrealistically hard musical piece to master, that truly complicated social issue that trouble us deeply… or whatever personal hill it is that needs to be cut for making a way to move forward, whichever individual mountain that needs to be climbed and turbulent sea that needs to be surfed… the only way is in choosing to persevere.

Footnotes and references

• Mary Poppins https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Poppins
• Stephen W. Hawking https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Hawking. One of the best known popular science books authored by him is “A Brief History of time”-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Brief_History_of_Time- a definitive good read for the interested and curious minds.
• Dashrath Manjhi https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dashrath_Manjhi
• Cast Away https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cast_Away

* acts of perseverance are also demonstrated by different animal species. One good read can be “Animal wise” by Virginia Morell, that might give a peek in understanding some well-studied thoughts, emotions, and attributes demonstrated by animal species, showing their intellectual abilities in figuring out solutions to their living contexts.
** the examples taken here are quite random and in no particular order.
*** Taking the liberty to cite an example from a work of fiction, nevertheless it is truly inspiring. This is a great movie to watch (if you already haven’t)!