The Effect of Perseverance on My Personal Growth, Essay Example

The Oxford English Dictionary defines perseverance, in part, as “constant persistence in a course of action or purpose; steadfast pursuit of an aim, especially in the face of difficulty or obstacles” (OED).  With an etymology stemming from the Anglo-Norman and Middle French, the word perseverance has not strayed too far from its original meaning when it first appeared in the 1340 prose text Ayenbite.  Perseverance is meaningful to me, as a word and as a mindset, because of its connection with overcoming obstacles that often seem insurmountable.  It has come to take on increasing meaning for me as I pursue my academic, professional, and athletic goals.

My first significant exposure to ‘perseverance’ in this context was through a quote I saw hanging in my high school gym teacher’s office.  The football coach Vince Lombardi once said that “football is like life–it requires perseverance, self-denial, hard work, sacrifice, dedication, and respect for authority” (Lombardi).  My gym teacher used this quote to motivate all of his students to excel in their pursuits, and some people took the words more seriously than others.  To me, the word ‘perseverance’ came to sum up both the essence of the Lombardi quote and the difficulties that I faced as a high school student.

It has always been my dream to merge my cheerleading abilities with the acquisition of a college education.  To accomplish this, I made a point of eliminating a lot of social activities from my life so that they wouldn’t distract me from what I believe is important.  This caused me a great deal of grief in high school, as many of my peers didn’t understand my priorities and singled me out for ridicule.  However, I persevered, always keeping my goals at the forefront of my mind.  Whenever I was being mocked or excluded from conversations, I reminded myself that I was persevering for a reason:  to better myself and become the sort of person that my family will always be proud of.

I learned, through hard experience, that high school is an emotionally-intense but transitory period.  When you’re right in the middle of it, it seems like it will never end.  However, the further away I get from those years, the less important they seem.  The same people who made my high school experience very difficult in the moment are reaping the effects of the choices they made to emphasize socializing over education.  We all make choices and we all have to live with the results of those choices.

The effect, for me, of narrowing my focus to include only academics and athletics is finally showing results.   I am in the process of taking the final steps to become a co-ed cheerleader for a Division One university, an act which represents the culmination of my–as Lombardi said–“perseverance, self-denial, hard work, sacrifice, dedication, and respect for authority” (Lombardi).  When I look back on my teens and early twenties, I will feel pride at the choices that I’ve made and the manner in which I’ve chosen to live my life.  My steadfast belief in achieving my dreams has taught me valuable lessons not only about cheerleading, but about the pursuit of excellence and the development of a strong moral and ethical character.

As my life continues onwards and upwards, I intend to carry the idea of perseverance with me wherever I go.  Indeed, the word has taken on an almost talismanic quality.  Whenever I encounter trouble, whether in my school work, my home life, or my general relationship with the world around me, I remind myself that I have overcome a great deal already.  This knowledge gives me the strength to continue persevering, as I’ve already had the opportunity, many times over, to witness the profound effect that my continued perseverance has had on my life.

Works Cited

Lombardi, Vince.  Brainy Quotes.   Web.  17 June 2011.             http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/perseverance.html#ixzz1PXeBNiuI

perseverance, n. Oxford English Dictionary, Third edition, December 2005; online version June 2011. <http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/141443>; accessed 17 June 2011. An entry for this word was first included in New English Dictionary, 1905