“In the summer of 1855, 16-year-old John D. Rockefeller needed a job. He had just completed a 3-month course in bookkeeping, and he made a list of the companies in his hometown of Cleveland that might need a bookkeeping assistant. Cleveland was booming with businesses, but none was willing to take a chance on someone so young and inexperienced. For weeks, Rockefeller spent 6 days a week walking hot streets in his suit and tie, trying to find work. He was rejected from every business on his list. Rockefeller responded to this potentially crushing setback by simply starting over, requesting interviews from the same firms that had denied him days earlier. Eventually, a produce shipping company executive rewarded Rockefeller’s persistence and hired the boy who would become the richest and most powerful businessman in the world.”
Persistence is an important human trait. Having persistence does not guarantee success but it is often important to be successful. Just setting goals and dreams is not enough but it is important to be persistent. It is good to create plans, but important to be persistent and implement them. It is one thing to launch your project or startup but another and important thing to be persistent and play through the challenges and setbacks.
I met a entrepreneur a while back whose startup was considered a failure for 9 years and he pivoted 4 times in that time. As a young man, he said he was always a step behind from his luck and always attained everything with more efforts than others. He said he only knew that he had to get “there” which he did every time.