day no. 15,683: perseverance is not the problem per se

In reading The Art of Manliness, Manvotionals: Timeless Wisdom and Advice on Living the 7 Manly Virtues by Brett McKay, I came across the following quotes,

"Perseverance means the steady pursuit of a plan, whether good or bad." -- Readings for Young Men, Merchants, and Men of Business, 1859

We are better at persevering than we give ourselves credit for. We can stick to things much better than we imagine. When we wish for better habits, we reveal our perseverance in bad ones. When we are in a bad mood, we show how committed we are to maintaining it.

We can ride things out when we want to. We persevere in poor diets despite gaining weight. We persevere in breaking the speed limit despite the speeding tickets. We persevere in binge watching Netflix despite being exhausted in the mornings. We persevere in biting our fingernails despite the pain and discomfort.

We can persevere. We can endure difficulties. Everything has its problems. We choose the problems we want and persevere through the ones we prefer. We have the problems we have because of our perseverance. If we want different problems, we need to persevere in something else. Until then, however, we will continue to persevere in our preferred problems.