Everyone knows perseverance is important to success. But I’d seen few expound well on why and how it does. That’s why it’s pretty amazing to read this chapter, despite the boring topic. I mean, what’s to get excited about persistence? It’s no longer a sexy character trait to have, unlike say, creativity. But there seems to be a pattern in the chapters in this book. It persistently underwhelms by chapter title but impresses with the contents.

What I love most was the list of symptoms of lack of persistence. You can almost use it as a checklist to check whether you can call yourself persistent. Always passing the buck? Not persistent enough. Quitting at first sign of trouble or criticism? Not persistent enough. Always looking for a shortcuts to riches, getting without giving. Not persistent enough.

Ultimately, it’s about having a money consciousness vs a poverty consciousness, which is very much a habit that one can develop as trying to wake up early. 

More notes below. Sharing them here as reference for myself, and for anyone who might find it useful. This is not a book review, just raw notes lifted directly from the book, with some minor edits, interpretations and categorisations of my own.

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Think And Grow Rich (8):

Persistence: The sustained effort necessary to induce faith, the eighth step to riches

Men who accumulate great fortunes are generally known as cold-blooded, and sometimes ruthless. Often they are misunderstood. What they have is willpower, which they mix with persistence, and place back of their desire to insure the attainment of their objectives.

The majority of people are ready to throw their aims and purposes overboard, and give up at the first sign of opposition or misfortune. A few carry on DESPITE all opposition, until they attain their goal.

The starting point of all achievement is DESIRE. Keep this constantly in mind. Weak desires bring weak results, just as a small amount of fire makes a small amount of heat. If you find yourself lacking in persistence, this weakness may be remedied by building a stronger fire under your desires.

If you find that you are indifferent, you may be sure that you have not yet acquired the “money consciousness” which you must possess, before you can be sure of accumulating a fortune. Fortunes gravitate to men whose minds have been prepared to “attract” them, just as surely as water gravitates to the ocean.

Spasmodic, or occasional effort to apply the rules will be of no value to you. To get RESULTS, you must apply all of the rules until their application becomes a fixed habit with you. In no other way can you develop the necessary “money consciousness”.

POVERTY is attracted to the one whose mind is favorable to it, as money is attracted to him whose mind has been deliberately prepared to attract it, and through the same laws. POVERTY CONSCIOUSNESS WILL VOLUNTARILY SEIZE THE MIND WHICH IS NOT OCCUPIED WITH THE MONEY CONSCIOUSNESS. A poverty consciousness develops without conscious application of habits favorable to it. The money consciousness must be created to order, unless one is born with such consciousness.

Those who have cultivated the HABIT of persistence seem to enjoy insurance against failure. “EVERY FAILURE BRINGS WITH IT THE SEED OF AN EQUIVALENT ADVANTAGE.”

Persistence is a state of mind, therefore it can be cultivated. Like all states of mind, persistence is based upon definite causes:

- Definiteness of purpose

- Desire

- Self-reliance/belief in one’s ability to carry out and achieve the goal

- Definiteness of plans

- Accurate knowledge

- Cooperation

- Willpower

- Habit

Symptoms of lack of persistence

1. Failure to recognize and to clearly define exactly what one wants

2. Procrastination, with or without cause, usually backed up with alibis and excuses

3. Lack of interest in acquiring specialized knowledge

4. Indecision, habit of passing the buck

5. Habit of excuses instead of creating definite plans

6. Self-satisfaction

7. Indifference

8. Blaming others for one’s mistakes, and accepting unfavorable circumstances as being unavoidable.

9. WEAKNESS OF DESIRE, due to neglect in the choice of MOTIVES that impel action.

10. Willingness to quit at the first sign of defeat

11. Lack of ORGANIZED PLANS, placed in writing where they may be analyzed.

12. Neglecting to move on ideas, or to grasp opportunity when it presents itself.

13. WISHING instead of WILLING.

14. Compromising with POVERTY instead of aiming at riches. Absence of ambition to be, to do, and to own.

15. Searching for shortcuts to riches, trying to GET without GIVING a fair equivalent.

16. FEAR OF CRITICISM, because of what other people will think, do or say.

How to develop persistence

 1. A DEFINITE PURPOSE BACKED BY A BURNING DESIRE FOR ITS FULFILMENT

2. A DEFINITE PLAN, EXPRESSED IN CONTINUOUS ACTION.

3. A MIND CLOSED TIGHTLY AGAINST ALL NEGATIVE AND DISCOURAGING INFLUENCES.

4. A FRIENDLY ALLIANCE WITH ONE OR MORE PERSONS WHO WILL ENCOURAGE ONE TO FOLLOW THROUGH WITH BOTH PLAN AND PURPOSE.