If you want to better your life and attain your goals then you need to strengthen your power of persistence. Everyone has a persistent streak inside of them. The problem is that this streak is not as powerful as you had hoped for.

If you want to be persistent, it helps if you set your goal up correctly to begin with. Saying what you want is not setting effective goals. There is so much more to it than that. The following are just some of the key points that you can implement to improve your persistence.

1. Positive thinking

The first step in improving your persistence is to actually start thinking with a positive mindset. Whenever you start to think in a negative manner or start to say the words ‘I can’t do that’, stop and think for a moment. What exactly is it that you can’t do? Or is it merely that you don’t want to do the task?

Many times it is the latter that is the real reason. When you find yourself thinking in this way ask yourself ‘why?’ Is the task at hand really too hard or are you tired and just have had enough of it? It helps to be able to remind yourself of the reasons why you want to achieve the goal and how completing this task will help you to achieve the goal. When you can overcome the negative thinking you will be more than halfway to becoming a persistent person.

2. Know what you want

If you want to be persistent in the pursuit of your goals, you must be clear about what it is that you want to achieve. As you get clearer and more specific about your goal, you learn to identify the tasks which you need to focus on if you want to achieve your goal. By becoming more focused, you become a little more motivated and this will help you to persist in the face of adversity.

Also, when you become clearer and more specific about what you want, it is much easier for you to create an effective plan for achieving the goal.

3. Know your why

If you want to achieve a goal, you must have at least one good reason (i.e. the benefit you will experience) for wanting to achieve it. As your goals increase in size, you are likely to have multiple good reasons for wanting to achieve it. Before you even set about planning your goal, you should take a pen and paper  and write each of these reasons down. Then, on a regular basis, you can read this list of reasons and imagine yourself experiencing each of these benefits. This will help to recharge your batteries and motivate you to get back on track.

4. Set a plan

A goal worth achieving is a goal worth planning. The size of the goal determines the depth of planning required but it is worth remembering that one of the biggest differences between those who achieve their goals and those who do not is that that those who achieve their goals take the time to create a plan.

When you create a plan, you set out a clear list of tasks which need to be completed before you achieve the goal. You know exactly what you have got to do and the deadlines for getting it done. This makes life much easier and allows you to keep moving forwards without having to constantly spend time trying to determine what you should be doing next i.e. because you don’t have to waste time thinking, you get to keep going and increase your persistence.

Another benefit of planning is that you are also clear about the tasks which do not need to be done. If you have to decide whether something needs to be done, it really does slow you down. You can easily be overwhelmed and it becomes more difficult to be persistent. A good plan means that you don’t waste any time thinking about tasks which do not need to be done.

5. Take small actions

When you are lacking persistence, it is often due to a sense of overwhelm. The goal seems so big and there seems to be so much you have to do in order to achieve it. Your projected deadline for achieving the goal may also be a long way off in the future. All of these factors can lead to you experiencing a sense of overwhelm which causes you to doubt yourself. Persistence does not come easy when you doubt yourself.

Rather than doubt yourself, you need to reduce the size of the goal by breaking it down into a number of sub-goals (milestones) which you can achieve along the way. Each sub-goal can then be broken down into the smallest tasks. You can then focus on your tasks and, as you complete the tasks, you will start to achieve the sub-goals. With each sub-goal that you complete, you will take a large stride closer to achieving the major goal until you have eventually completed the major goal itself.

Breaking your goals into the smallest actions encourages persistence because you are able to focus on what needs to be done today, safe in the knowledge that it is taking you closer to your long-term objectives.

6. Measure your progress

Many people struggle with persistence because they feel that they are not making any progress. While they may feel that they are not making progress, it may not actually be true. Sadly, when it comes to bigger goals, most people have no idea what progress they are making because they have not set up a system to measure their progress.

When you take the time to measure your progress, you get a clear picture of how you are doing. Every little success can be celebrated and you get to see every step that you make towards your goal. When your progress is visible, you see that you are getting closer to your goal and the closer you get; the more motivated you will be to keep going. This type of motivation goes hand in hand with persistence.

7. Take breaks

Working on the same goal constantly can be very frustrating. It can be very difficult to maintain your interest and passion for the project. That is why it is important to have a number of different goals/projects to work on. You can create a plan for each project and you will know what tasks you need to complete and when you need to complete them by. This allows you to mix up your tasks i.e. complete a task from one project and then change to another project. This variety keeps your day varied and interesting.

One major mistake that people make which drains their persistence is that they sit down to work on an entire project in one go. While this is achievable with small projects, bigger projects are more stressful on the mind. Even the most enjoyable project can become very frustrating if you work on it for too long.

While it is fine to take a break from a task you should never totally give up. Mix your work up and move between projects. You will find that you have greater motivation and persistence for each project when you regularly take breaks. Sometimes taking a break is all that is needed. You will find that you return to the project more energised.

A persistent person is someone who doesn’t give up and when the going gets tough they look for ways to handle the situation. As you complete any task or accomplish a goal you will feel proud of yourself. This boost in your self confidence will help make you a more successful person.

These boosts rarely come by accident. They are usually the result of having designed your work properly and set your goal up to ensure that you get regular positive feedback which reinforces your persistence. Take the tips provided above and begin to implement them in your work. You will soon find that your persistence gradually improves as you regularly receive positive feedback. Sometimes it is not about how much progress you make; it is about realising how much progress you are making. When you design your goals properly from the outset, you will get a more accurate reflection of the progress you make and persistence will come with greater ease.

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