# The Power to Keep Going By:: [[Ross Jackson]] 2024-08-03 Many people give up. Some give up and go away. Some give up and stay. Few have the tenacity needed for perseverance. One can see this in athletics. Most children play some sport growing up. In elementary school, almost all were involved in some form of athletics. As students progress to middle and high school, the number is significantly reduced. Only a tiny percentage of those who started have the power to keep going. The same can be said for academic or trade programs. Of those who start, only a proportion finish. It is easier to start something than it is to finish it. This is not to imply that everything that has started should be completed. There are a multitude of valid reasons to stop doing things. However, one benefits from understanding that to keep going one needs drive. The natural tendency is toward quitting. If one is going to see something through to completion, one should think strategically about how one will maintain interest and effort after the desire to do so has waned. This isn’t easy. One potential approach is to examine the accomplishment of the accomplishment. Most accomplishments are both ends and means. If one can focus on the means, one might be able to sustain effort even when the value of the end is questionable. The power to keep going is a strategic competency. If taken too far, it can become a weakness. There are no easy answers. Sometimes, giving up and changing course is the right decision. Sometimes, digging deeper just a little bit longer makes all the difference. The key is not to let habit or whim dictate one’s decisions.    #### Related Items [[Progress]] [[Power]] [[Goals]] [[Persistence]] [[Giving Up]] [[Decision-making]]