Countless others have come and gone， many of themsang well enough， but they failed to make the gradebecause they lacked the courage to keep on keepingon， until Broadway became tired of turning themaway.
Persistence is a state of mind， therefore it can becultivated. Like all states of mind， persistence isbased upon definite causes， among them these：—a. DEFINITENESS OF PURPOSE. Knowing what onewants is the first and， perhaps， the most importantstep toward the development of persistence. A strongmotive forces one to surmount many difficulties.
b. DESIRE. It is comparatively easy to acquire andto maintain persistence in pursuing the object ofintense desire.
c. SELF-RELIANCE. Belief in one’s ability to carryout a plan encourages one to follow the plan throughwith persistence. （Self-reliance can be developedthrough the principle described in the chapter onauto-suggestion）.
d. DEFINITENESS OF PLANS. Organized plans， even though they may be weak and entirely impractical， encourage persistence.
e. ACCURATE KNOWLEDGE. Knowing that one’s plans are sound， based upon experience orobservation， encourages persistence； “guessing” instead of “knowing” destroys persistence.
f. CO-OPERATION. Sympathy， understanding， andharmonious cooperation with others tend to developpersistence.
g. WILL-POWER. The habit of concentrating one’s thoughts upon the building of plans for theattainment of a definite purpose， leads to persistence.
h. HABIT. Persistence is the direct result of habit. The mind absorbs and becomes a part of the dailyexperiences upon which it feeds. Fear， the worstof all enemies， can be effectively cured by forcedrepetition of cwt8 of courage. Everyone who hasseen active service in war knows this.
Before leaving the subject of PERSISTENCE， take inventory of yourself， and determine in whatparticular， if any， you are lacking in this essentialquality. Measure yourself courageously， point bypoint， and see how many of the eight factors ofpersistence you lack. The analysis may lead todiscoveries that will give you a new grip on yourself.
SYMPTOMS OF LACK OF PERSISTENCE
Here you will find the real enemies which standbetween you and noteworthy achievement. Hereyou will find not only the “symptoms” indicatingweakness of PERSISTENCE， but also the deeplyseated subconscious causes of this weakness. Studythe list carefully， and face yourself squarely IFYOU REALLY WISH TO KNOW WHO YOU ARE， ANDWHAT YOU ARE CAPABLE OF DOING. These are the weaknesses which must be mastered by all whoaccumulate riches.
1. Failure to recognize and to clearly define exactlywhat one wants.
2. Procrastination， with or without cause. （Usuallybacked up with a formidable array of alibis andexcuses）.
3. Lack of interest in acquiring specialized knowledge.
4. Indecision， the habit of “passing the buck” onall occasions， instead of facing issues squarely. （Alsobacked by alibis）.
5. The habit of relying upon alibis instead ofcreating definite plans for the solution of problems.
6. Self-satisfaction. There is but little remedy forthis affliction， and no hope for those who sufferfrom it.
7. Indifference， usually reflected in one’s readinessto compromise on all occasions， rather than meetopposition and fight it.
8. The habit of blaming others for one’s mistakes，and accepting unfavorable circumstances as beingunavoidable.
9. WEAKNESS OF DESIRE， due to neglect in thechoice of MOTIVES that impel action.
10. Willingness， even eagerness， to quit at the firstsign of defeat. （Based upon one or more of the 6basic fears）.
11. Lack of ORGANIZED PLANS， placed in writingwhere they may be analyzed.
12. The habit of neglecting to move on ideas， or tograsp opportunity when it presents itself.
13. WISHING instead of WILLING.
14. The habit of compromising with POVERTY instead of aiming at riches. General absence ofambition to be， to do， and to own.
15. Searching for all the short-cuts to riches， tryingto GET without GIVING a fair equivalent， usuallyreflected in the habit of gambling， endeavoring todrive “sharp” bargains.
16. FEAR OF CRITICISM， failure to create plansand to put them into action， because of what otherpeople will think， do， or say. This enemy belongsat the head of the list， because it generally existsin one’s subconscious mind， where its presence isnot recognized. （See the Six Basic Fears in a laterchapter）.
Let us examine some of the symptoms of the Fearof Criticism. The majority of people permit relatives，friends， and the public at large to so influence themthat they cannot live their own lives， because theyfear criticism.
Huge numbers of people make mistakes in marriage， stand by the bargain， and go through lifemiserable and unhappy， because they fear criticismwhich may follow if they correct the mistake.
（Anyone who has submitted to this form of fearknows the irreparable damage it does， by destroyingambition， self-reliance， and the desire to achieve）.
Millions of people neglect to acquire belatededucations， after having left school， because theyfear criticism.
Countless numbers of men and women， both young and old， permit relatives to wreck their livesin the name of DUTY， because they fear criticism.
（Duty does not require any person to submit to thedestruction of his personal ambitions and the right tolive his own life in his own way）.
People refuse to take chances in business， becausethey fear the criticism which may follow if they fail.
The fear of criticism， in such cases is stronger thanthe DESIRE for success.
Too many people refuse to set high goals for themselves， or even neglect selecting a career， becausethey fear the criticism of relatives and “friends” whomay say “Don’t aim so high， people will think youare crazy.