Perseverance and the Desire for Elevation
The man who moves mountains begins by carrying small stones. – Confucius
“Human nature is prone to laziness. We gravitate towards what is easy. This is why we tend to circle the parking lot to find the closest spot to the supermarket entrance, choose the elevator over the stairs, or order food delivery instead of cooking,” says neuropsychologist Boris Cheval.
We prefer an occupation or work that brings us a satisfactory reward without much delay. Immediate disappointment awaits us when the expected reward is delayed or when things get difficult. Our motivation and enthusiasm can easily be shaken.
We often find justifications to abandon our efforts with arguments like, “Why not just give it up ? It’s not worth the effort, what will be my stake anyway ? I can gain faster in something else, this isn’t fair, etc.” If we succumb to these thoughts, we steadily inculcate intolerance, distractibility, lack of motivation, and procrastination in our psychic space. Subsequently, we may stagnate, halt into “nothing more” mood, or flit from one thing to another driven by our fleeting instincts.
Yet, there are some people who spare no effort in what they do, and continue on their chosen path with enthusiasm. They can maintain their perseverance and motivation for a long time despite encountering failures and setbacks. What distinguishes them is a quality – a combination of perseverance and passion – expressed in their dedication to their long-term goal. Research psychologist Angela Duckworth states that this quality –grit- is a better indicator of success than intelligence (IQ).
She states that success depends less on talent and more on the ability to sustain one’s efforts to the end. This ability can be acquired.
She identifies the 4 most tenacious psychological assets :
- Interest – By delving in and reflecting in and on oneself, he can discern what his true pursuit is – the purpose that gives meaning to their life.
- The desire to elevate – It is an innate drive in humans which prompts progress. It is made possible through practice, just like a tennis player who advances his strokes through practice.
- The conviction of doing useful work – the quest for meaning making can be pinned down in doing what one believes to be useful.
- Hope – is the engine of effort. Faith in yourself, faith in what you’re doing is or will be useful, and faith that you are part of something greater than yourself is meant to keep you on the path to your goal.
The “grit” is the combination of motivation and perseverance to combat the instinctually pleasure-seeking human nature for a higher purpose. For example, propelling oneself to the gym rather than lounging on the sofa, doing an insignificant service for the other, or reading a long-awaited book on the bedside instead of binge-watching a series, etc. The endeavor is self-restraint. With willpower, we aim to regulate the automatic responses gushed by our desires, recurrent temptations and the inborn laziness. But building this muscle to temper oneself takes perseverance, regular exercise and willpower. If it is not used, it atrophies. One might even be condemned to his primate nature whose sole aim is to gratify the impulses and pleasures of the ego.
French psychologist Didier Pleux warns against the condition of setting a reward:
When we agree to make an effort, we must keep in mind that the reward is not immediately apparent. If we fall into the trap of “What’s the point ?”, we might as well not live, because we are all going to die anyway… Instant gratification is not our human side, it belongs to our animal side. To be human is to abandon the primate brain, to know how to postpone gratification, to be patient, to persevere, and to make an effort.
The method of self-suggestion is indispensable for preserving oneself in this long-term quest. You can read more about how to use effective self-suggestion techniques.
Duygu Bruce
Excerpts are taken from the weekly French magazine Le Point, 30 June 2022, no 2603.