What’s the difference between the person who continually tries to diet—or to get onto a permanent exercise program—and fails and the individual who steadfastly sticks with his/her program through good times and bad, the dieter who carries on despite demoralizing setbacks and temporary defeats and keeps up his efforts through thick and thin?
Is it physical or moral superiority? Is it finding the “right” diet?
Is it unflagging support from family and close friends? Is it luck?
Or is it an unremitting will to win?
While you could argue that all of these qualities are important, most people would agree that there is one trait that propels more dieters into the winners’ circle than all others combined. That quality is persistence.
Persistence suggests a steadfast resolve that refuses to be compromised. It indicates a lack of self-pity and self-indulgence. And it implies above all else that unyielding “will to win,” a refusal to surrender despite petty annoyances, major obstacles, even demoralizing setbacks. Whether you call it tenacity, stamina, guts, or determination, this uniquely human trait translates into that enviable quality of hanging on until victory has been achieved.
The winners we see and admire in all walks of life have this kind of willpower. And the winners in the dieting game have it, too. They know how to learn from their failures rather than be defeated by them. They then use this new knowledge to reach even higher goals. Conversely, lack of persistence is a leading cause of failure, particularly when it comes to making changes in diet or exercise. Sure, there are lots of people out there who want to boost their metabolism and get thin and fit, but not all of them want it badly enough to persist in their efforts.
How about you?
Are you willing to do what it takes, regardless of all obstacles?
Experience with men and women who have tried to kick their unhealthful habits has demonstrated that lack of persistence is a weakness that is common to the majority. They’re ready to give up at the first hint of discomfort or pain. They’re easily overcome by delays or setbacks. Only a precious few carry on, despite all opposition, until they achieve their goals. Strangely enough, it is precisely at that point that most dieters could win the weight-loss battle. All they need is that little extra push to hang on for a short time longer. This thought was stated so nicely by the Greek historian Polybius: Some men give up their designs when they have almost reached the goal; while others, on the contrary, obtain a victory by exerting, at the last moment, more vigorous efforts than before. Those who are persistent when it comes to behavioral changes earn their success at the very point where many other dieters end in failure. History is laced with examples where men and women have fallen short of their goals only because they failed to hang on.
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