Do you remember the fable of the hare and tortoise? It is told to children to illustrate the value of persistence. “Slow and steady” wins the race, and by extrapolation, can help you improve any skill or achieve any goal. The thing is, slow and steady isn’t sexy!

The hard slog never is. People dream of success falling in their lap. They imagine that successful people are lucky or that their success somehow is magical or effortless.

The truth is that success very often looks like failure until the effort expended is rewarded. Successful people just don’t let small setbacks divert them from their goal. It’s all about…..

Persistence

Take Edison and his famous inventions. He has quotes galore about the effort needed to succeed. Like the following: “Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration” or “We now know 1,000 ways how not to build a light bulb”, which was in reference to his many attempts to create a light globe. What about his quote in response to being mocked for one of his other “failures”: “Today I know 25,000 ways not to make a battery. What do you know?” Although it’s disputed whether he made the light bulb quote, one thing remains for certain; Edison didn’t just stumble across his inventions. He conducted thousands of experiments and made many attempts before succeeding.

The famous heroes and heroines of invention, leadership, exploration, entrepreneurship, sportsmanship, the arts and scientific endeavour failed again and again. Then they succeeded. Did you know that in 1927 baseballer Babe Ruth broke the record for the most home runs…….as well as the record that year for the most strikeouts? He was willing to risk a strikeout to get a home run.

Have you heard of Steven Bradbury? He is famous in Australia for his gold medal win at the 2002 Winter Olympics for speed skating. He was trailing the 1,000m men’s speed skating final at a distant last when the frontrunners stacked it, allowing him to sail through the entire field and win. It wasn’t pretty but he got a Gold Medal!

People joke that Bradury only won because he got lucky. That’s rubbish! He trained for years, made the Olympic team (four-time Olympian), and got through his time trials and heats. He may have been the slowest and oldest competitor in the final, but he withstood years of struggle to earn his position and ultimate victory. Steven Bradbury claimed Australia’s first ever Winter Olympics Gold Medal, and his feat has cemented a place in Australian folklore. “Doing a Bradbury” is vernacular for an unexpected win.

The key takeaway is that you have to be in it to win it.

Greatness is earned. It is the product of sustained effort to overcome obstacles that stand in your way. It’s not easy, it requires hard work and a certain stubbornness to never give up. So-called “overnight successes” had years of training behind them.

Job Search in Periods of Unemployment

Job seeking for the unemployed can be a dispiriting exercise. It’s hard not to feel like a total failure when you keep getting rejected. But the worst thing you can do is give up!

Instead you need to exhibit the same dogged determination as shown by the people above to get a job in a really tough market. Each time you send out your resume tailor it to the position you’re seeking even though it takes work. When you are invited to attend an interview, research the company and brush up on your interviewing skills as though it’s the first job you have ever applied for. If you are unsuccessful, ask for feedback so that you can do better next time. I realise this can sometimes be uncomfortable, but you need to do whatever it takes in order to succeed.

Persistence in your job search is a virtue and will ultimately result in success. Setbacks along the way bring you one step closer to your goal as long as you’re willing to learn from them and continue the journey.

The biggest mistake you can make in your job search is to give up. It is only then that you fail!

If you need help persevering in your job search, consider career coaching, it may be all you need to help you turn around your current situation.

Please share your own story about how perseverance helped you achieve a goal. I love hearing such stories, and they inspire others too!

Important Note: These articles have been prepared for general circulation and are circulated for general informational purposes only; these articles should not be regarded as business or investment advice. The articles represent the views of the writers and are subject to change without notice. Additionally, while every care has been taken in the preparation of the articles no representation or warranty as to accuracy or completeness of any statement is given. An individual or organisation should, before any business or investment decision is made, consider the appropriateness of the information in this document, and seek professional advice, having regard to objectives, situation and needs. This document is solely for the use of the party to whom it is provided.