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Persistence

Written by: Zig Ziglar

Article Overview: My dream to be a speaker was born in 1952 . . . . However, it wasn't until 1968 that I was able to go full-time in the business, and it wasn't until 1972 that my career really took off. In those intervening years, I was privileged to read a large number of excellent books and listen to outstanding speakers as I traveled countless miles driving to the "freebies" that I conducted. During this period my skills as a communicator slowly developed and my experience produced real-life stories and lessons that I shared with audiences of all kinds and sizes. I spoke to civic clubs, schools, rehab centers, prisons, churches--to virtually any group that permitted me to share with them.

Persistence

My dream to be a speaker was born in 1952 . . . . However, it wasn't until 1968 that I was able to go full-time in the business, and it wasn't until 1972 that my career really took off. In those intervening years, I was privileged to read a large number of excellent books and listen to outstanding speakers as I traveled countless miles driving to the "freebies" that I conducted. During this period my skills as a communicator slowly developed and my experience produced real-life stories and lessons that I shared with audiences of all kinds and sizes. I spoke to civic clubs, schools, rehab centers, prisons, churches--to virtually any group that permitted me to share with them.

. . . Through it all I had discouraging times when it seemed as though nothing was happening, but not only did I have the dream, the dream had me. I can honestly tell you that not once did I ever contemplate abandoning the idea of being a full-time professional speaker. . . . I became obsessed with the idea that what I had to say was important, and that I could make a difference in people's lives. In retrospect, I realize the long delay was largely responsible for much of the success I've enjoyed over the last 25 years. . . .

Along this journey, I came to realize that the more I knew about my subject, the more creative I could be in my presentations. The more new ideas I acquired from others, the more useful my own ideas became, because truth forms a synergism. I was careful to speak truth and ethical principles as I built my career.

I believe that whatever your chosen profession, if you make a strong commitment and have a burning desire in your heart--combined with the conviction that you can make a difference--dogged persistence provides you the best insurance for success. Remember that persistence enables you to develop other skills as you go along, provided that you're always "on the grow" and are genuinely excited about benefiting the people you're dealing with.

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Article Tags: audiences, best insurance, burning desire, civic clubs, conviction, countless miles, dogged persistence, dream the dream, ethical principles, excellent books, freebies, full time, life stories, prisons, profession, professional speaker, rehab centers, retrospect, strong commitment, synergism



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Re: Persistence gives live to small business. - Persistence is the key to success on any enterprise
Re: Why Some Websites Sell and Others Don’t? - Thanks for starting this inspirational thread,am working on owning my own site.This is a vital info for me. I will take note of this important quote as a beginner "Forget about the magic bullet that will make you rich overnight. Persistence is more important than intelligence"
Re: What I Enjoyed Reading This Week - July 29 - Nice selection - especially as I was able to go through the three that interested me in a 10 minute-dead-slot before dinner time! Persistence = constantly improving and inventing, not banging the same head against the same brick wall! Visual.ly looks really interesting. I'll definitely check it out. I guess you directed us to the seat belt promo for the stunning direction. I have to say, I always wear a seatbelt - except in the back of taxis...
Re: Does Anyone have any New Ideas for a Business - An idea is only the beginning. The solution is the key here. I really like the term "turn key solution" and in fact use it as many times as I can in my life. Successful franchises and businesses know exactly what, who, how, where, when and why prior to ever dropping $1 in the bank account. This is what makes people millionaires. Harvest ideas into well oiled machines. A business needs to run itself and sustain itself. If you can show this on paper and show consistent growth in a real world scenario, you will always have a winner. Sounds easy, doesn't it? I'm still working on that myself. It's amazing how many difficult to answer questions come up. Persistence is then key.
Re: Does Anyone have any New Ideas for a Business - [quote="RyanH":2gdcdiag]Persistence is then key.[/quote:2gdcdiag] and [quote="MichelleJ":2gdcdiag]If you want it badly enough you will find a way to get it eventually.[/quote:2gdcdiag]... but I think that it's also important to note that unfocused energy/persistence is useless. For example, a person can run around town and spend a fortune to push his/her product/service, but yield no results and cause that entrepreneur to run out of money (and motivation). Small business owners need to formulate a solid game plan and THEN go full force.


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