Persistence at the Zou

The power to hold on in spite of everything, the power to endure—this is the winner’s quality.

It takes a lot of characteristics to be a part of a football team, but it takes even more to be a part of a successful football team. A distinguishing characteristic between the two is persistence.

Persistence is the ability to face defeat again and again and again without giving up, even in the face of extreme difficulty. Not only is perseverance necessary for survival, but it is also necessary for victory. You have to keep pushing to overcome the pain. You have to keep pushing to overcome and defeat the obstacles ahead of you, and sometimes, that doesn’t always seem possible.

This perspective might be easy at first, but in the face of failure, it becomes harder and harder to maintain.

The key to a persistent performance and mindset is not in the results, but it’s in the process. Once the process of integrity is mastered, the results take care of themselves. Most importantly, it’s not what people say, it’s their actions that define them. Performance is a recap of process; Process is what you actually do.

Another thing to remember is there are two different kinds of persistence.

The first kind of persistence comes with a lot of doubt. We are not sure of ourselves or our ability to perform. Regardless of such, we continue fighting. The things that push us forward may be unknown, but we go with them. We must persevere.

The second kind of persistence is a little different. It comes from something deeper. All sorts of things can be going on. The score may not be in our favor, but the type of person we are doesn’t pay attention to the scoreboard. We pay attention to a process, and even more so, we focus on a mentality that is simple yet powerful:

“We’re not giving up.”

That mentality is not a question. It is a statement.

It is also important to remember how to handle ourselves when we are successful at what we do. It is important to remember that yes, success is the ultimate goal we’re going for, but it is only a part of the process we use to get there. The process is still the most important thing. Never become too satisfied with results. Don’t dwell on failure.

Plainly, do not rest in accomplishments. Enjoy success and focus on the process. Only individuals with this attitude can enjoy victory on a consistent basis.