Ulysses the Persistent

Six steps to take to create a practice of persistence.

Last year I read the biography of Ulysses S. Grant, the American Civil War hero who also become the 18th President of the United States. Grant was an unassuming man and some historians have characterized him as a fumbling, disheveled drunk. In his biography of the General and President, author Ron Chernow rightly corrects this description of Grant. He portrays Grant as more of a smart, courageous and soulful man who did enjoy the occasional drink, but never did it hinder his decision making on the battlefield. If anything Grant was persistent and was known for his perseverance.

U.S. Grant writing his memoirs at Mt. McGregor in Saratoga County, NY

Reading Chenow’s book was part of my goal In 2019 to read one book a week. I was persistent but fell short of my goal. Instead of reading 52 books in 2019, I read a total of 41 books. Why did I do this? For me I believe reading is a full immersion way to learn and understand things that narration (audio books) or watching (television or YouTube) can’t give me. While I read my imagination is always painting vivid pictures of what the words are saying. When I read fiction I can see the characters and scenes in living color in my minds-eye. Sometimes I will even assign an actor to play the role of the protagonist. This is what works for me and in my quest for life-long learning and my persistence has paid off.

All you have to do to verify this fact is sit down and watch Jeopardy with me. Or maybe several spirited hours of Trivial Pursuit would make you believe me. For me, persistence in reading has paid off in other ways as well.

Ulysses S. Grant’s persistence to overcome obstacles presented to him are carefully documented by Chernow. Grant exhibited this in the battle of Vicksburg, where he patiently worked at figuring out how to lay siege to the City for over a year. His major goal was to get past the fortress guarding the important southern city on the Mississippi. Grant tried every possible strategy in the book, from building canals to ultimately achieving a successful night-time run past the Confederate Army’s City’s fortress. He ultimately took the city and won. Grant’s persistence paid off.

I have not always had the persistence that Grant had. It has come in spurts for me. Ryan Holiday in his book, “The Obstacle is the Way”, says one way to “turn trials into triumph” is to actually practice persistence. Holiday says in his book, “Remember and remind yourself of a phrase by Epictetus: “Persist and resist”. Persist in your efforts. Resist giving into attraction, discouragement, or disorder”. What Holiday is saying is that the Stoics had persistence in mind when they went about their day. They knew there were going to be obstacles and they knew that persistence and not quitting would be the only way to get through them.

Here are six things you can do to “practice” and become more persistent:

1. Get the facts straight — Persistency requires all the facts so be sure you have researched your challenge and know that it is surmountable. Understanding what you are up against helps you understand the tactics and strategies that will make you successful, even thought the odds don’t look like they are in your favor.
2. Drop the Drama — Emotional decisions will cause your endeavor to be persistent to blow up. It’s the opposite of the tactic described above. We all know people who love to incite the drama of the challenge they are trying to overcome. Avoid this and seek clarity and take the emotion out of it.
3. Get Inspired — find someone who has been there before and ask, “What would (fill-in-the-blank) do? Thomas Edison, Winston Churchill, Jesus, Buddha, a close relative you respect, or an avatar. Yes, making up a persona or avatar that you admire and would want to emulate can get you where you want to be and help you in your persistency. This is consistent with Todd Herman’s idea of building an alter-ego to consistently achieve success.
4. Appreciate the difficulties — The difficulties and road blocks that provide temporary obstacles are just that, they are temporary particularly if you are dedicated to your cause. Appreciate the road-block by knocking it down and know that you are one-step closer to the goal. Simply knowing and appreciating the obstacles and becoming curious about it helps you overcome it.
5. Rejoice in the small wins — With each roadblock you knock down you are one step closer to a win. An incremental approach will get you where you want to be. Don’t believe in the myth of overnight successes. That is for the movies and media. Persistence requires that you are always moving in the right direction taking small steps for the win.
6. Look at your challenge from a 360 degree perspective — Maybe the way you are approaching your challenge is from the wrong direction. Consider other angles, other directions, other perspectives, even absurd ones. Remove filters and add new ones. Create new perspectives that at one time you may have never considered.

At the end of his days, Ulysses S. Grant sat in a rocking chair, on top of a Mt. McGregor in upstate New York, his tongue and throat ravaged by cancer and racked with pain, yet he completed his memoirs. He was persistent in all battles. He battled his enemy in the field and maintained a persistent mindset. He battled his illness to make sure the sale of his memoirs would provide for his family. He died on that mountaintop, under-appreciated until the passage of time could better lay credit to his achievements.

You can do it too. Be persistent and your battles can be won over time. The goal is to get across the finish line. I finished forty-one books last year not the goal of 52 I had set for myself. Am I upset? Of course not. I can rejoice in the fact that I filled myself with knowledge, information and ideas that I didn’t have when I started. My persistence did and will continue to pay off. It will for you too.