Persisting Through Pain is No Longer Only Just Persistence
Persistence in the absence of pain is nothing special. Almost anyone can be persistent when the pain of failure, fatigue, boredom, fear, or trauma is not a factor. Persistence is simply the act of pursuing a course of action with the same energy and consistency.
If the course of action you’re pursuing only produces rosy results, then of course you would keep your energy up and stay consistent with it. However, once the pain of failure, fatigue, boredom, fear, or trauma becomes part of the process persistence is no longer the only requirement. It takes more than persistence to continue to pursue that course of action. It now takes perseverance.
Perseverance is uniquely about the ability to maintain motivation through the process of overcoming painful circumstances. To put it differently, perseverance is the act of using one’s will power to both not quit and not give less effort.
A persistent person can be stopped. A person who is both persistent and who has the will to persevere is unstoppable.