All About Perseverance
By Jim Reindl
Intro
Perseverance is defined by how bad someone wants to make it to the top and also by their reactions to adversity. Their reactions to adversity are directly correlated to how bad that they want to become successful. Why do some people persevere while others are unsuccessful? It's all in the mentality. If someone figures out a way to beat adversity, no matter how privileged they are, and has a "glass half full" attitude, that person can do virtually anything they set their mind to.
Cause/Effect Paragraph
Kid President says the world is awesome, by people who made it awesome. To do something good for the world, you need to persevere, because if you quit, then you can’t achieve your goals to do contribute to society. Michael Jordan didn’t quit when he got cut from his high school team, and now there’s Space Jam, which Kid President says is an awesome movie. He then says that you can do the same, by telling you that just go out and do something and embrace the struggle to achieve your goals.
Sequencing Paragraph
Nick Vujicic is giving a motivational speech. First, he talks about how people fail at school, and at life, and how people fall down. Next, he talks about how some people get back up after they fall down or they have a low point in life, while others don’t have the strength to get back up. Then, he talks about getting back up from low points, and how even if you keep failing, if you keep trying there is a chance at succeeding. Finally, he talks about how it can apply to your life with failing at school, or socially, or trying to be accepted and offers some guidance on making the right decisions.
Descriptive Paragraph
Meet Paul Smith. He is an artist with severe cerebral palsy. He uses a typewriter to make his art because cerebral palsy makes it impossible for him to use a utensil to make his art. He has made some incredibly detailed art including a city skyline, a replica of the Monalisa, and lots of places from his past. People around him say that he also a fun person to be around and that he is a great person. They say he is humble about his art, and that he would much rather indulge in his friends’ successes than his own.
This is a figurative representation of what perseverance looks like. People higher up than you are going to try and bring you down, but with a good attitude you can get to where you want to go.
This is Jackie Robinson. He is one of the people who has had to persevere the most. He was the first black MLB player, who joined the league in 1947. Jackie encountered so much racism and had to let his athletic ability speak for it instead of him fighting back.
Conclusion
So, what can people learn from successful people who have persevered in life? We can take a look at how they reacted when adversity struck. They had an optimistic attitude. They never gave up. No matter how hard, they were creative. They always found a way out because they were problem solvers who thought outside the box. If people can train their brains to think like they do (which quite frankly, is easier said than done, but not impossible), then more and more people would be getting what they would like out of themselves.