You don’t start out writing good stuff. You start out writing crap and thinking it’s good stuff, and then gradually you get better at it. That’s why I say one of the most valuable traits is persistence.

~ Octavia E. Butler 

I’ve heard smart folks say: It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.

One of them discussed his routine in secondary (high) school: he’d sit with word problems until he found a solution while his classmates would complain about how complex the assignments were. Another is Albert Einstein.

I have seen people from different walks of life conclude on the same premise with the use of different phrases. They all say that no great achievement is possible without persistent work.

I also figured that when challenges come, it is either you:

• let it shame you into inaction, or
• you learn from it.

The choice is yours to make: to either chicken out or persist in the face of dauntless opposition.

Come to think of it, it is only logical to quit in the face of discomfort or even uncertainty. That moment when your fear feels so tangible and doubts paralyze you from moving persistently toward your goals. However, it is either you allow yourself to be caged by such feelings or you flip the switch by:

• Identifying your wants and desires;
• Understanding why you want what you want
• Mapping out an action plan
• Joining a community of action takers.

Lest I forget, it is crucial that you develop better habits if you want to match your goals with corresponding actions.