“Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after the other.”

— Walter Elliot (1888–1958), Scottish politician

I am perseverance. I am that which keeps you moving forward when determination fails you. I understand that you might think we are the same, determination and I, but you would be wrong.

Determination comes from your mind. It is a choice, a decision to keep going, to continue with a plan. It relies on your willpower, but therein lies the problem.

Willpower is fickle. It is dependent upon your emotions. This means that when emotions run high, you cannot depend upon determination to carry you forward.

This is why sometimes you do not follow through. You want to change your habits or do something new and different but if you become tired, frustrated, angry or otherwise emotional, determination is not always enough to help you reach your goals.

I come from your soul. I am your ability to be resilient. I am the result of your inner strength but unless you look for that strength, you will not always find it. You have all the inner strength you will ever need to carry you through your life and challenges, even if you do not believe this at times.

All that is required is for you to trust in yourself. Trust in your inner wisdom, your soul’s purpose. Your soul would not urge you to do something you are not capable of doing. But you must be willing to risk failure, rejection or even ridicule.

This does not mean you will necessarily find these waiting for you. It means only that the willingness to face them is a demonstration of your strength. This is how I show up in your life. I am the embodiment of your inner strength.

I am your willingness to keep moving forward against the odds.

I am responsible for your resilience and your ability to conquer and overcome your challenges.

I am your desire to pursue your soul’s purpose until it has been fulfilled.

I am your ability to realise your dreams, and what are your dreams but your soul’s very expression?

Without me, you would not know yourself fully. Without me, you would never find your inner strength or your ability to be resilient.

I am the quiet strength that pushes you forward in spite of your emotions.

I am your inner knowing that you are on the right path, and that you must keep your head down and move forward no matter what.

I am the reason you follow your heart, and indeed this is what you are meant to do.

No one else knows what is best for you. Even if your way is the way to a failure, it is still the best way for you.

How can that be, you ask?

You are meant to learn many lessons in your life. If everything goes according to your plans, you cannot learn all you need to know.

When your plans fail, you will learn how to do things better or differently. You will discover the gifts in the unexpected. Or you will find that you have wandered off your path altogether.

This is your opportunity to learn or remember that it is the path you desire. Or not.

“Failure is only the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.”

— Henry Ford (1863–1947), founder of Ford Motor Company

I am what keeps you digging. I am the reason you continue to search for the path to your happiness and your purpose.

I am the expression of your inner courage. You have all the courage you need to face your obstacles. All of them are for your benefit and as long as you choose to see them that way, you will discover the inner courage to work through each one.

I am your inner knowing of what is right and best for you. I will help you to live in integrity with what you believe. When you keep your values in mind, it is easy for me to show up and assist you in honouring them.

There are some who will view me as stubbornness when they do not agree with your course of action. Do not let that deter you. It matters not what they think. Stay on the course you know to be correct for you. Count on my support in that. I am always here to help you achieve what matters most to you, whatever that may be.

If there are times you feel lost or if you have got off your path, you may wonder if I have abandoned you. I can promise you, I have not. I am merely waiting for you to find your center again. It is all right to feel as though you have been knocked off course for one reason or another. It is temporary while you search for the light of your path.

This is all part of your journey, for it allows you to question. It gives you the opportunity to review your goals, to consider whether or not you are truly on the best path. It allows you a chance to try something new and to expand your knowledge, your skills and abilities.

“As I look back on my life, I realize that every time I thought I was being rejected from something good, I was actually being redirected to something better.”

— Dr. Steve Maraboli, speaker and author

In this way, you learn more about yourself and you become clearer about your path and your purpose.

I will never abandon you but just like parents must do for their children, there will be times I must stand back and allow you to find your own way.

Once you feel as though you have found it — or returned to it — I will be right there to support you in continuing your journey.

I have one main role in your life: to show you the importance of never giving up on yourself. It is my job to show you what you can achieve if you believe in yourself and in your dreams.

It is my job to help you reach for the stars and not stop until you have touched them.

All you will ever have to do to find me is listen to your inner guidance, that small, still voice that is your compass. It will show you the way and as long as you follow it, I will be there for you, no matter what else may happen in your life.

Spiritual Arts Mentor and Master Teacher, Liberty Forrest, guides you in discovering who you are, why you’re here, and how to follow that path.

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