I've been really enjoying the posts in this contest, and had already seen so many wonderful stories that I wasn't going to bother adding another one. After trading some comments with @calumam, who apparently kicked this whole thing off, I got some inspiration, and so here we are.

Persistence can also be a bad thing. Many people talked about how persistence got them through something, or helped them improve something, or helped them achieve something. Very few talked about the planning that was necessary for their persistence to bear fruit. Persistence without planning is just aimless movement, and can take you farther away from goals.

Persistence can also be an obstacle. Lots of people find cushy desk or factory jobs, that they will persist at because it is easy and comfortable. Some of these people had much bigger dreams, that they will never investigate because of their persistence.

Persistence is a good quality to have, but it is not always the right quality to apply. If you don't know what your goals are, then your persistence may be leading you to someplace you don't want to be. Look at America, and our two party political system. Persistence in their goals, on both sides, have led to the polarization we see today, but is that where the people on both sides REALLY thought their persistence would lead them?

We see blind persistence in nature all the time. Water can be relentlessly persistent, incremetally eroding away at everything in its path, grinding down everything around it in its constant pursuit of a lower resting place. In the picture above though, we see it has met its match in a simple common sorrel, which constantly drives roots deeper down into the soil. When the water ebbs, the sorrel grows. These conditions persist because they have to, unless something else interferes. How often, though, will people choose to live like this, when it would be easier for them to work together, to find a solution that would suit them both, or even move apart, and find areas with less conflict. Like the water and the sorrel, humans are often blind to their own situation, they will persist just because it is who they are, even it causes them harm.

Just think of how many people you know who persist in abusive relationships.

My point, if there really is a point, is that you should always keep an eye on your persistence. Constant review of our goals, and the paths we take to get there, is the only way to assure that we're working the right way towards the goals we want to achieve. Things around us will constantly change, and our plans and goals will change with them.

It's always important to consider if you should persist through those changes, or change along with them.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk! 😉

If I'm forgetting to follow any contest rules, I'll happily accept my disqualification with grace. I'm just happy to use my outside voice. 😁