“Most people just won’t get started, let alone persist. Why? Because it is hard and it hurts. There’s little praise or assurance, there is no guarantee of success, your best, most important work will not be seen or acknowledged, but your mistakes will be glorified.”

Resilience and perseverance will inevitably trump talent. They are qualities you need not just to be successful in your chosen competitive field, but in all aspects of life. While they shine without witness, these two qualities alone provide us with the greatest reward and make for an invaluable asset.

Talent is something that seems to exist without effort; something that is desirable, when exactly the opposite should be true. Talent can reside only on the surface, but grit always appears through action.

Persistence is the consistent late nights of study, application, and failure, the frustration of wasted time in order to achieve something so simple. Resilience is the pain, doubt, and frustrations endured trying to learn a new concept and applying it effectively. Together, they are the experiences and sacrifices that shape you, build confidence in what you do, and speak in your work.

“It's not what you achieve, it's what you overcome. That's what defines your career.” - Carlton Fisk.

Like any other skill, persistence and resilience require maintenance; like a muscle, they can grow. The more relentless you are, the more resilient and persistent you will become.

As a graduate, it is crucial that you work at building these qualities. They will be tested in the daily industry grind. From my own observations, they are the primary factor for a graduate not being able to retain their job.

“To the amateur, the game is his avocation. To the pro it’s his vocation. The amateur is a weekend warrior. The professional is there seven days a week.” - Steven Pressfield, ‘The War of Art’.