James---AThe myth of perseverance
June 14th 2008 22:59
So many self-help gurus bang on about PERSEVERANCE. Never quit, they say. Keep going, they urge. Don't stop, they encourage. And in some cases, they're right. But in many they're just plain wrong.
You have to know when to quit. You have to know when to cut your losses. Perseverance is a critical skill... ONLY if you have 100% belief that you're on the right track. To have doubt and to continue on the same road is NOT AT ALL to persevere, but very much to be stubborn.
Many motivational gurus will use the story of Thomas Edison and how he went through 10,000 failed experiments before finally creating the light bulb. It's a great example. Brilliant, in fact - because it doesn't highlight perseverance. What it highlights is TRIAL AND ERROR.
After each failed experiment, Edison did something DIFFERENT. Something new - no matter how small. And that's what you must do if you aspire to be a millionaire. It's not about tirelessly continuing to do the same thing over and over and over again in the hope it'll finally make you rich. Nope, it's about trying something a few times and if it doesn't work, doinging it again a little bit differently.
Trial and error, my friend, is far more powerful than perseverance - or is that stubborness?
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