How to be hardworking and persistent in training

by Maryam Zahra

It is considered second nature for us human beings to grovel at the foot of success, yet how much groveling can one actually take?

Persistence is a hard one to get right. It requires you to have the determination as well as the drive to achieve something regardless of the hurdles and countless obstacles.

To become someone with persistence, the purpose must be clear. Find a sport that you are really passionate about with a strong reason to pursue the sport and you will do whatever it takes to get good.

Whenever you’re feeling low or unmotivated, just think back to why you started training in the first place. You’ll be sure to push away any excuses and start training straight away.

A key factor in developing persistence is making sure that you don’t lose before you even try. Affirming yourself with the right attitude and affirmations can only open the door to a better outcome.

Focus on the target ahead of you and motivate yourself. One of the factors of a negative attitude is being too overwhelmed with your training goals. When setting goals, try to be more realistic by setting smaller, achievable goals. For example, instead of telling yourself to run 100 meters at an Olympic speed, just try to beat your own record.

Hard work is without a doubt a criteria to succeed in any field. However, it’s better to work smart than to work hard. Instead of blindly training without a real idea of what you’re doing, make a training plan or a schedule that ensures that your goal is in your grasp.

Of course, making a plan and not following it defeats the purpose of the plan itself. It requires a great deal of self-discipline to stick to a schedule, especially when it forces you to get out of your comfort zone.

To overcome this, treat your schedule like a daily habit or a routine that has always been part of your life. It may take a while to create a routine, but the two months on average can form healthy habits that last a lifetime.

In certain situations, the end seems so far away and it feels like you’re crawling your way towards nothing.

Instant gratification means giving yourself small rewards to keep your goals in sight and motivate yourself to keep going. For instance, rewarding yourself with a cheat day after a week of intensive training will give you the fuel to propel yourself even further.

As Lionel Messi once said, “You can overcome anything, if and only if you love something enough.”

You can be able to put in the work, but in the long run, what exactly is keeping you on board? Hard work and persistence is inevitably nothing without having passion.

To be able to be consistently persistent is to understand that you are feeding your spirit with a burning passion to keep striving. So keep on feeding that spirit, and stay on that road.