“May your strength persist like carbon,
Which has enabled all life our solar system knows,
Has known, or will ever know—
From diplodocuses to dandelions;
From blue–green algae to blue whales;
And from the katydids that cling to branches and chirrup through the night,
To the kale that clings to life aboard the International Space Station
And hurtles through the silent, endless night of outer space.”
-From a blessing by Stacey Elza
Where in nature do you find inspiration to persist?
If I had to choose a theme in life, it would be persistence. What is the other option? I have found that I am at times curious where my path will lead and therefore I keep going, even when I am in the midst of pain and despair. Persistence is how I know I want to center love and not pain. -Aisha Hauser (CLF)
How do you center love and not pain?
Sometimes we get by through sheer will, through persisting despite the odds against us. Sometimes, we need to hang on and inch ourselves forward until we are somewhere better.
What do you need in order to hang on through today?
When do you decide to give up? When it’s hard? When you no longer want to meet your goal? It’s ok to give up, it isn’t a failure. But if you have one more try within, persist. Keep going. Obtaining your goal, something you deeply desire, is worth the effort of trying. -JeKaren Olaoya (CLF)
When have you chosen to persist towards a goal even though you were tired and it was hard?
I never liked to practice piano as a kid, maybe because I did not know how to be persistent. I always wanted and hoped for a quick reward, and never quite connected that my mediocre playing was directly related to my haste. As an adult, I’m all about being slow, steady, patient, yet determined; and I enjoy playing piano soooooo much more! -Beth Murray (CLF)
How do we help people to be more persistent?
