Building and Maintaining Perseverance

Perseverance is the ability to keep moving forward and maintain determination regardless of failure, opposition, or hardship; in simple terms, perseverance is the act of never giving up.

While the act of persevering may seem simple enough on its own, many people may find it easier to define perseverance than actually putting it into practice. After experiencing difficulties, people don’t typically jump to rebuild themselves. Instead, they grant themselves time to process what has just occurred, take a moment to breathe, and then begin getting right back up⸺which is completely valid. However, sometimes events can be so life-changing that someone may not know how to begin the healing process, let alone how to navigate each day, leaving them feeling trapped with little direction.

This type of feeling can make everyday tasks feel overwhelming, and larger goals or ambitions seem futile. It can be difficult knowing where to reset when all one wants to do is lie down and watch the world go by after such difficulties. 

Everyone in life has experienced these emotions after such an intense tribulation at some point, so there is absolutely no shame if you’re currently facing something similar or have dealt with this in the past. Rather than pass judgment, we must recognize the importance of perseverance, as we are all capable of overcoming these occurrences through it. 

Perseverance needs to be recognized as a dynamic skill, as opposed to a static skill; perseverance is not a skill or trait one is born with, implying that it can always be built upon. To elaborate, a dynamic skill encourages continuous learning and growth among those putting the skill into practice; it evolves with active practice, which is how someone can maintain this courage over time. 

Though you may be wondering, how does one practice perseverance? How can this persistence be maintained?

Thankfully, there are many ways to do so, which someone can explore through activities such as creating collages, journaling, listening, and more. 

Keep in mind that these habits don’t need to be used only during times of hardship; they can also be used each day to truly build perseverance! 

Finding Your "Why."

Before someone can begin all of these perseverance-building practices, they must find a reason why they’re applying perseverance to their everyday life. At the same time, someone can have an overarching ‘why’ in mind, but there can also be smaller day-to-day reasons.

These reasons act as the primary motivator for why one puts in the effort they do each day; each decision made could directly back to this motive, to this ‘why.’ Ultimately, someone’s ‘why’ can inspire them to strive through each day, regardless of obstacles, developing the ability to persevere more efficiently. 

Given the complexity of the human mind and the unique goals that drive each person, it’s no surprise that everyone’s ‘why’ can be different. Regardless of how big or small someone’s ‘why’ may be, they can still apply it productively to their persistence.

However, one concern may be finding a "why" to begin with.

Finding meaning or reason in everyday life can be challenging, and I understand, as for a long time I wasn’t sure exactly why I go along each day myself. Personally, I have never considered myself someone with ambition or direction, and I felt like I was letting myself be guided down the river of life, not rowing or making any turns myself; I never had a "why" for going through life, just because I felt it was something I had to do.

This changed once I started to find my ‘why’ through the little things in life. For example, I began asking myself what reasons I had to get out of bed each morning other than going to school? Then I started thinking about all the people I find joy in seeing, and that became my motivation to persevere throughout the school day, even if I initially couldn’t find a reason to get up. 

This made each day easier for me in the slump of senior year when all I wanted to do was graduate and rot away in bed. My perseverance grew every time I reflected on my ‘why.’ Even after graduation, when the initial motivation became less applicable due to my transition into university, I found a way to reframe my purpose. My ‘why’ grew into something larger that keeps me going every day: I want to move forward so I can grow alongside the people I care for and see how we all change. 

To summarize, finding a ‘why’ may seem difficult at first, so you can always start small, as I did, and that ‘why’ could expand into something even bigger and assist in your perseverance. Whether your ‘why’ is finding something to smile about each day, wanting to learn a new skill, or having the ability to track any progress, use it as a reminder to move forward each day. 

Collaging

Collages are a great means of building perseverance because they act as a mosaic for one’s ‘why.’ Collages can be made up of a variety of materials such as photos, magazines, newspapers, fabrics,, which allows for endless exploration of the reason why someone would keep persevering through each day. 

Furthermore, collages don’t have to be physical; they can also be digital and serve the same purpose of acting as a reminder to keep going. People can create digital collages through apps such as Pinterest, Canva, Adobe, and more, allowing them to personalize their vision and create something meaningful to return to when they need motivation.

Try creating a quick collage when you can and place it somewhere where you’ll always be able to see it. Once you’ve done that, always look at it before starting your day, think about what the collage means to you, and remember why you made it in the first place.

This collage practice allows you to build and maintain your tenacity by providing a visual representation as to why your goals matter and encouraging you to make progress each day, even when challenges arise. 

For myself, I have a collage of photos of my friends and family surrounding a mirror in my room, so that I can always look back on my previously stated ‘why.’ I never thought that something like this would encourage me so much, but it has, so I would definitely give it a chance! 

Journaling

Journaling is similar to collaging, though it includes more written aspects compared to designing; one can still get all festive and creative while writing through the use of different colored materials or unique pen styles, such as gel pens as opposed to strictly black-ink pens, but whatever floats your boat! Similar to collaging, journaling can be done digitally as well, through Google Docs, Apple Journal, and more.

For this practice, one must write down their ‘why’ alongside personal messages to themselves, words of encouragement, and past experiences. These past experiences may include other times of struggle or lows, serving as reminders that, despite previous hardship, one has conquered it and persevered. After writing for the first time, continue writing each day after, even if it’s just a word or two.

These messages, notes, and stories will act as a valuable means of incentive that will encourage you to persevere, as journaling is a keepsake that reflects how much you’re capable of growing each day, even if you don’t realize it at first. Additionally, the inclusion of your ‘why’ on each page can inspire you to stick to your goals for the day and do anything to add to it, as it will always be in the back of your mind after rereading it so many times. 

Listening

Listening can take on multiple meanings when it comes to perseverance; for example, it could be listening to music that encourages you to keep moving. For me, though, I’m referring to stories.

I think one thing that can help someone lift their spirits and determination is listening to someone else’s difficulties and how they overcame them, because it can emphasize that things can and do get better. 

When I was younger, I thought about being a cartoonist, though as I mentioned before, I never had much motivation to do much of anything. Still, I wanted to try and at least draw each day or weekly, but I used to think that nothing good would come of it. I thought this way after being told by my mentors or peers that being a cartoonist was unrealistic; I had considered quitting drawing altogether. This was until I heard the story about the author of The Adventures of Captain Underpants, Dav Pilkey. 

Pilkey had a discouraging encounter with one of his teachers while first conceiving Captain Underpants as a child, in which his second-grade teacher tore up his comic and advised him that "he couldn’t spend the rest of his life writing silly books." Despite this, Pilkey continued to draw and develop his story, becoming a well-known author for the series and beyond. When I heard this story when I was younger, it made me want to keep trying at drawing despite others' perceptions and judgment surrounding my hobby and, at the time, career choice.

While I don’t want to be a cartoonist anymore, as I now have an interest in journalism, Pilkey’s story always remains in the back of my mind. It taught me that no matter the discouragement I face from others, I should always keep trying in everything I want to do, which builds my perseverance.

I encourage hearing others' stories - as I did with Pilkey - because listening to someone else talk while feeling lost can provide comfort that someone may not recognize they need. It can also be an extra boost to tell them other people are facing similar adversity, but are still here today. 

Moreover, the storyteller could provide helpful advice that someone could adapt to their daily routine if they find it useful! 

Conclusion

Maintaining and building perseverance may seem intimidating, but following daily practices will allow it to blossom inside of you each day, as long as you give it a chance. Remember, all of us have experiences with perseverance, and regardless of who we are or where we are mentally, we are all persevering together, so never give up. 

About the Author

Kylie "Stuart" House is a Journalism and Media Studies student at UNLV with a concentration in Journalism. Her interests in writing include events occurring at UNLV and across the state, with an emphasis on community engagement. She enjoys going to cafes with her friends, staying up late until the sun rises, and anything with an apple fruit theme.