Most people quit after two to six months. They start with energy, excitement, maybe even some early traction. But then things slow down, the money don’t come in and the energy vanes. The numbers dip. The people who were cheering… disappear. So they stop too.
But here’s the truth: persistence is one of the most underestimated and underappreciated forces in the world. Not because it’s flashy. Not because it gets instant appreciation. But because it’s rare and because it works.
The hardest time to stay committed isn’t at the start. It’s when you’ve failed. When you’re tired. When it feels like no one believes in you anymore, not even you. That’s when showing up becomes a form of courage. That’s when persistence becomes power.
And still, that’s the moment when most people give up.
But what we don’t talk about enough is that every single setback, every rejection, every moment of doubt… is part of the growth. You’re not broken. You’re just paying the price of becoming extraordinary. That’s why long-term commitment is so difficult. Anyone can hustle for two months. Almost no one keeps building for five or ten years, especially when the results are slow and the path is unclear.
But that’s exactly what makes it valuable.
If you’re still learning, still adjusting, still evolving, then sticking it out, even through the pain, is what sets you apart. Persistence doesn’t mean ignoring reality. It means using reality, and painful faliures as fuel for growth. Taking feedback. Improving. Making smarter moves. De-risking as you go. And staying in the game long enough to let it all compound.
Now, here’s the flip side.
Quitting is the right choice, when you’re no longer learning, growing, or making progress. If the environment isn’t helping you become better, stronger, sharper, it might be time to leave. In fact, it takes a lot of guts to stay, and surprisingly most decide to stay. Staying somewhere just to prove a point, or because you’re scared to walk away, isn’t persistence. It’s avoidance is irresponsibility.
Real persistence means choosing your battles wisely.
And that brings us to something most people overlook: the power of people.
The people you choose to surround yourself with might be the most important decision you ever make. From the person you date, and you marry, to the people you bring to your team. You need people who challenge you. Who make you think. Who raise your standard. People who are smarter than you. Better in their craft. Kinder in their approach. People who show you what’s possible not what’s safe.
If you want to go far, don’t go alone. Choose better people. That’s how you grow.
One of the best examples of this is Brian Chesky, the co-founder of Airbnb. In the early days, they were broke. Rejected by almost every investor. Maxing out credit cards. Selling novelty cereal just to stay alive and pay the bills. Everyone laughed at them. “Strangers sleeping in your house? Who would want that?” But they didn’t stop. They kept listening to their users. They iterated. They learned. And slowly, they built something that changed the world.
It didn’t happen in one year. Or even two. But today, Airbnb is worth over $100 billion. And it exists because they didn’t quit when things got hard.
If you’re playing the long game, here are two books that might help you stay on track. Grit by Angela Duckworth is all about the science of persistence, why some people stay with the process and others don’t. The Dip by Seth Godin is short but sharp, and helps you know when you’re in a temporary rough patch versus when it’s time to quit.
Here’s the bottom line.
Five years from now, most people will have quit. Ten years from now, most won’t even remember what they started. But a few the quiet few, will still be here. Still building. Still learning. Still showing up.
And they’ll be the ones who win. The only question is: will you still be here?