There is strength in perseverance

Perseverance is an important concept in Japanese culture.  There are a number of idioms which attest to this. 

One of these is “Keizoku ha chikara nari.”  I have seen an English equivalent, “Perseverance is the key”, although I have never heard anybody say it.  A more literal translation would be “There is strength in perseverance.” 

Another idiom is “Ishi no ue nimo 3nen.”  Literally, that means “Three years on the rock.”  This means that if you do something, you should stick at it for three years.  Many Japanese employers look at a job candidate’s career history and are suspicious if someone has frequently changed jobs.  To avoid giving this impression, I guess that many Japanese employees stick at jobs they don’t like for several years, especially if it is their first job.  Perhaps some people in Britain do that too but it is less of a stigma to change jobs.  Indeed, it might be seen positively, as a sign of ambition. 

Well, perseverance may be the key but it can also be very difficult.  I used to drink alcohol almost every night (not that much, don’t worry!)  A couple of months ago I decided to stop drinking completely on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights.  I am writing this on a Wednesday, and I can’t wait for Thursday to come around.  There is a glass of sho-chu calling my name... 

Anyway, the point I’d like to make is that it is important to be realistic.  If I had set myself the target of cutting out all alcohol from Monday to Friday, I suspect I would have failed after three weeks.  If you want to lose weight, why not stop eating snacks for three days a week?  Too many people try to make a radical change, perhaps cutting out snacks altogether.  Then it is all too easy to fail after a few weeks and put all the weight you initially lost back on. 

Try a small improvement.  And stick at it for three years.  There is strength in perseverance, or so I have heard.

 

Vocabulary:

perseverance – The habit of continuing to do something even if there is a temptation to quit.

concept – Idea; thought.

to attest to something – To give proof or evidence of something.

equivalent – A similar example in another setting.

literal – Word for word.

to stick at something – To keep doing something; to persevere at something.

a stigma – A black mark against someone’s name.

radical – Extreme; involving a big change.