A few weeks ago, while on a slow but difficult jog, I had the following thought:
The goal of perseverance is not perfection. Perseverance is about persisting through the pressures that reveal our weaknesses, being compassionate toward ourselves in adversity, and achieving emotional composure regardless of the results of our efforts.
While jogging, I became discouraged with my lack of ability to run as swiftly and breathe as easily as I would have liked. Admittedly, I noticed those who were running faster and breathing easier. These fit individuals almost appeared to have gleeful smiles on their faces. They seemed to be enjoying their run, while I undoubtedly was displaying a laborious grimace.
The jog continued; the pain continued, and I wanted nothing more than to stop, throw in the towel, walk home, and eat a twinkie, or ten. Then, I experienced a mental shift. It was a shift that revealed to me the ego-driven absurdity of my discouraging thoughts. Acquiescing to discouragement would not be displaying compassion toward myself at that moment. Did those individuals whom I perceived as fit, happy, and healthy begin in that state? Was I expecting, after one jog, to achieve my physical ideal? When I achieve my best, will my best be good enough to satisfy the quest for ultimately unattainable perfection? Indeed, had those individuals reached their ideal state of being?
The reality of our lives is that, like the changing seasons, we exist in a state of flux. We all experience, with varying degrees and at different times, the personal and noticeable growth of spring, the consistency of summer, the harvest of fall, and the desolation of winter. Yet, despite this constant state of change, anyone who achieves anything of enduring quality, whether it be personal or professional, has learned the power of perseverance. My discouraging thoughts were based on uncharitable comparisons and the assumption that no one else has struggled; that no one else has experienced the pain of growth, the sting of disappointment, and the reality of adversity. Gratefully, during that challenging jog on that discouraging day, I realized the absurdity of my thoughts; I laughed, I had compassion toward myself, and I persevered.
The goal of perseverance is not perfection. Perfection is illusive; our goal is always being modified as our circumstances and perspectives change. None of us are without flaw; none of us will achieve absolute perfection in this life, but we can choose to persevere. I believe that mortality is part of a grand and mysterious organization of intelligence, and that the trials of our existence can one day reveal the creation of a persevering, supernal beauty.
Sphere of Light and Truth 