Persistence

Persistence In Depth

The journey of Self-Transformation is a journey of Self-Improvement as it’s a journey where one is constantly improving their happiness through adressing the suffering and limiting states of the mind. 

It's a great feeling when we feel that we've improved ourselves as we all know deep inside that there’s no greater reward than to become a better version of ourselves than the day before.

However, when one encounters that they've only made little progress despite the tremendous effort they've put in, this can greatly demotivate one from carrying on the journey of Self-Improvement. Some may even start to feel that they are simply wasting their effort and time.  

So, not seeing progress or having self-doubts about your progress will be one of the the bigger obstacles on your journey towards Self-Improvement. When we feel like our efforts are not being rewarded, it can be make us think twice about carrying on our journey. For instance, no matter how much passion you have in achieving a particular goal, after years and years of doing something and achieving little results, the passion would inevitably erode with time. 

It’s much like trying to learn piano and never getting good at it. How demotivating it can be to practice for hours every day only to progress very little? Seeing little progress can also make us doubt whether all that work we are putting into our goals are worth all the sacrifice.

As a result, one of the biggest reasons why most people would feel uncomfortable taking their first steps on the journey of Self-Transformation is the self-doubts that surface when one tries to transform their mind. 

Those who believe that it’s not possible to transform the mind will think that embarking on such a journey is a waste of time. And those who consider it possible may think that it will take too much effort. And those who think will be an easy journey will be greatly disappointed. And those who truly need to embark on the journey will be held back by their negativities to see that the cause for all one’s problems lies outside rather than inside.

So, it’s not an attractive journey to venture on for most people who are not ready to change or to face challenges. 

Realize that to transform the mind will be the most challenging task you will ever face in your life. This is because within we all have deeply rooted beliefs and to transform them will be no easy task. To shift our beliefs from one end to another is like trying to move a mountain. And every effort you apply to move that mountain will make you feel like the mountain has not moved at all.

That is why the journey of Self-Transformation will require you to develop your ability to trust yourself—that you can indeed move the mountain—and also to develop your patience because the whole process will take time.

That is why being persistent is necessary. Persistence is the sum of patience and trust combined into action. It’s only by being persistent that you can see the result of your efforts, for if you give up too early, you will see none. 

Without persistence, you will be easily overcome by your self-doubts:

“What’s the point of addressing my suffering for no cause?”

“What’s the point of applying effort when there are no results?”

“Am I just wasting my time and effort trying to achieve something impossible?”

Without persistence, one can be easily convinced by the mind to give up. The mind will always come up with any reasons to justify one to stop doing difficult things and choose an easy and painless way out.

How does one practice Persistence?

To be persistent on the journey of Self-Transformation is to aim not for the results but to aim for the attempt.

In other words, if one were trying to release their fears of public speaking, being persistent is not about defining success only when one achieves a certain goal or an outcome, but rather to see that success comes from simply “trying.”

By simply trying to overcome your fears, you are on the journey of Self-Transformation. By trying to talk to others even though you are afraid, you have succeeded even if you failed in speaking out. By trying to present a speech to an audience, you’ve already succeeded even if you have not yet reached the stage. 

The attempt you make is a catalyst for self-discovery as it will allow the surfacing of the negativities within to take place, which in turn will help you to know yourself more, which will help you to know what you need to work on, which in turn will help you to transform the mind.

Realize that the “attempt” is the catalyst for turning the wheel of transformation.

So, you find yourself wondering:

“Am I doing the right thing to transform the mind?”

“What if I fail?”

“What if I make a fool of myself?”

“What if what I do is meaningless?”

Whenever you encounter these confusions, just tell yourself that all you need is Persistence, that by simply trying will be enough for you to make progress on your journey of Self-Transformation.

Let’s use an analogy for you to understand this better. When you are stuck in darkness, the mind will always convince you to stay in the same place as it will be the most familiar. Your mind will convince you that if you explore beyond what you know, your worst fears can come true, or that there may be greater pains to be experienced if you step outside of your box. 

Because of these thoughts, you may end up stuck repeating the same life patterns again and again. And whenever you try something new and bump into something uncomfortable, you can end up perceiving that experience as a bad one.

But realize that every time you try something new and encounter something uncomfortable, it’s not that you’ve taken the wrong path, but rather you’ve ventured beyond the place you’re used to. So these types of enlightening sensations and experiences are often confused as bad experiences or bad choices. 

Realize that it's by discovering these “wrong” and “painful” paths that one can come to know more about themselves. Isn’t it by trying new ways of thinking that one can eventually refine their current beliefs? What can one achieve by simply staying still? 

So, making the attempts to explore and make it through the darkness is the only way out. To do nothing new is to simply guarantee the long-term stay. One thus needs to explore and bump into unexplored and uncomfortable territories.

And that is how we start the journey of transform the mind. On such a journey, we are always trying to take the mind to new places, and in doing so, uncomfortable sensations can arise. These new places we take the mind to will always be about exploring new beliefs. Thus, your old beliefs will be constantly challenged, and as a result, great confusion and suffering may inevitably arise. 

When this happens, realize that this is a beneficial experience rather than a bad one. It can be easy for the mind to equate the uncomfortable feeling of trying to transform the mind as a bad or worthless experience. But realize that this feeling is much more beneficial than the comfortable feeling of doing nothing.  

In short, it can be extremely easy to fall off the journey of Self-Transformation in the beginning. That is why persistence will always be the key to success. Because the more you persist, year after year, the more you will see that it’s possible to transform the mind, to release all your fears and negativities, to heal yourself of all diseases.