To be patient is to be willing to wait along the sideline until the situation changes.
To be persistent is to be willing to keep giving it all you’ve got in order to change the situation yourself.
Being patient is – without a doubt – a virtue many are missing (yours truly included). However, if there’s the slightest opportunity to influence the outcome in your favour, choose to be persistent, not to be patient.
Sadly, people who patiently wait along the sideline, will often be kept on the sideline. And guess what the sideline has in store for you? Not much.
Now, it has to be noted that being persistent is NOT about aggressively pushing through until you get what you want. You are NOT a toddler.
In many cases being persistent is about coming back with a smile until you can’t be ignored any longer.
Don’t see any progress in the gym? Come back with a smile every day until you get what you came for.
Can’t get that promotion at work? Come back with a smile every day and improve your results until they can’t be ignored any longer.
Dealing with unhelpful institutions? Come back with a smile and jump through the hoops they throw at you until they realize they’ll never get rid of you unless they help you out.
Be persistent, with a smile on your face and your head up high.
You won’t always get exactly what you want, but you might be surprised how far you’ll get.
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