Quote of the Day - Perseverance

Great works are performed not by strength, but by perseverance – Samuel Johnson

Depend upon it, sir, Mr. Johnson is right. Those who have accomplished great works did so through perseverance rather than though sheer strength, talent, or ability. Strength and talent are necessary, but by themselves they are insufficient. There were stronger generals than George Washington or Ulysses Grant. There were more brilliant inventors than Thomas Edison or Steve Jobs. There were more talented politicians than Winston Churchill or Otto Bismarck. But few could match them in tenacity. All experienced multiple failures during their careers, but accomplished great works through dogged and relentless perseverance.

Perseverance is not a marker of virtue, but it is a marker of success. Great men and great villains both accomplish their works through perseverance. Donald Trump and Joe Biden are very different men, but both are equally tenacious. Both climbed to the top of the slippery pole of politics through perseverance. Like his bête noire, Winston Churchill, Adolf Hitler persevered though multiple failure to become leader of his country. The great works one does may be good or evil, but perseverance is required regardless.

It is as true for everyday folks as it is for the famous and infamous. My great accomplishments - in terms of raising three successful men from boys, success as an engineer, and success as a writer - are do to my willingness to persevere.

When my boys disappointed me, I did not give up on them. I stuck with them. I corrected them. I continued to show by example. Eventually they listened and followed. All three will exceed me in their accomplishments. As I told one of my sons, when he bragged he would soon be making more money than me, "That means I've won."

Similarly my engineering career is one of tenacity in adversity. Frequently I did not get credit for work I did. Or the best works I accomplished were discarded upon delivery. Or I was forced to detour out of engineering for periods before returning. Certainly my path was not what I envisioned upon graduation. Yet I stuck with it, and enjoy a position in a project that would have been my heart's desire as a newly-graduated engineer (and is as satisfying an engineering job as I have ever had).

I am not the world's most brilliant writer. I am good, but there are many better than me. And many of those better than me are a lot less successful. Why? Mostly because I persevere. I am not afraid of rejection. For me that's part of the territory. When I have a contract I deliver within deadline, meet word count, produce a product that meets specifications and requires minimal editing. Not just once. Every time.

Yes, you need talent and ability. Both can be improved through experience, but experience come through actually doing the work. Perseverance matters more than strength of talent or strength of ability.