Persistence Pays

 Persistence pays. I know that sounds cliche but it's true. It really pays. If you want something enough, you're going to get it. You just have to keep trying, trying, trying, even when you tire from it. You have to fight it.

I've fought for so many things in my life. When it's come to my writing, I've fought to get my things published despite rejection. I've tried to convince people of things too, especially my parents: Facebook, cell phones, all sorts of things. And bigger things too, like trying to convince myself of my worth. Bigger things too like trying to convince myself of things and trying to accomplish certain tasks. Bigger things like changing my circumstances, my surroundings. Trying to fight a mindset, trying to fight people who want to bring me down, trying to fight my inner demons etc or even the more positive things like trying to accomplish a dream (even a pipe dream). The list goes on.

But anything's possible. Anything if you want it. Some things are hard, really hard, and they seem impossible but they aren't. Hell, if we look at technology and all of the crazy things man has done, it's a sure sign of that.

My Daisy is a sign of that. She's just one tiny sign. Daisy, the pet that I just bought today. What's so different about Daisy? Daisy is a rat. Yes, a rat. I know how most people talk about rats with their noses up in the air. My parents were the same way. But the thing with Daisy is that she's not like other rats. She's so playful and energetic and sweet and she has such a big personality that it's so calm to contain. It literally took so, so much to convince them. For weeks, I tried to. Daisy caught my eye when we were picking up Cheerio. I wanted her but my dad dismissed it. I thought that I could choose one or the other so I chose Cheerio. Still, I couldn't give up the thought of her. Cheerio was great but I worried for her, wondered whether or not she had a home. So I kept nagging my dad, nagging him to check up on her and so I finally convinced him. We would check on her and then, if she was still there, maybe (just maybe) we could go and see. He put it off forever but I wouldn't give up on her. He said, "But oh it has a tail. I can't get past the tail. Can't I chop it off?" Finally, I wore him down. He went today and she was there. Then I held her and he held her and he softened a little bit towards her enough to buy her.

So persistence pays. It does. And that's only one example out of so many. I'm sure if you look closely on my blog, you can find so many others. And that's just me. I'm sure so many other people have inspiring stories too.

I've always been a determined person, often to the point of incredible stubbornness. But this, I believe, is a good thing. Without my persistence, I wouldn't have gotten as far as I have. I wouldn't have been as strong as I am now. I wouldn't have stood so firmly by my ideals, wouldn't have been the person that I am today. My persistence drives me, emboldens me, adds passion to me. Sometimes, it does that too much but I've come to the conclusion that it's better than not enough persistence at all. In a world with so much apathy in it, it needs as much passion and persistence as it can get. And so my persistence definitely pays off.

Some battles, I have learned, are not worth fighting. I cannot use my persistence on everything because then that cheapens it. Also, many battles do not deserve so much persistence. And yet many do. Fighting for yourself and those vulnerable around you is one of the most important things you'll ever do and yet people don't give it enough.

So, dear reader, if you're thinking about giving up right now, don't. And if you can't find any more fight in you, try to find more want. And if you can't do that, well it probably was never meant to be. But the last thing you should do is roll over and let it slip you by.

(Now, I just have to tap into that persistence and work on my parents letting me get a Monroe piercing... That's my next stop. But that will take an act of Congress, I'm sure. But like I said before, anything's possible if you want it enough).

My girls