“A little more persistence, a little more effort, and what seemed hopeless failure may turn to glorious success.” -Elbert Hubbard

With today’s fast paced atmosphere in our society, caused mostly by the advancement of technology, millennials have become accustomed to minimal efforts and rapid results. With an entire world of new information at the tip of our fingers, it is rare to see the small handful of people who are so patient whether it be with their daily tasks or with their lives. Although it seems our generation has lost this patience, the value of perseverance has never faded. One of the most important attributes a person can have is the ability to persevere and conquer, despite the hardships that have been presented in one’s path.

To the progressive generation that exists today, the majority of daily life and events derives from the quick click of a button on an incredibly powerful device, named the smartphone. With any and all questions answered by a simple search to mega search engines like Google with the blink of an eye and video tutorials streamed to teach people in any subject matter, it seems as if we have completely lost touch with reality and have been glued to the surface of our screens. A quick pattern of the keyboard. A simple click of the mouse. Billions of results scrolling the bright digital screen. We are robots that are accustomed to instant results, instant gratification. The biggest problem of all, however, is the fact that despite the manner society encourages, the most important results come with time, come with barriers, all of which require perseverance.

In October 2018, one Japanese runner made headlines for her incredible courage and act of perseverance. Rei Iida is a 19 year old runner who was participating in Iwatani Sangyo’s 26-mile relay marathon, when she tripped and fell, causing her right leg to fracture. Despite her injury, however, Iida continued her trek to the finish line, not by running, but by crawling. Iida crawled 700 feet until she successfully completed the marathon, where she was then treated for medical care. During a time of extreme weakness and pain, Iida persevered and continued to move by crawling towards her goal. Her story and gesture has gone viral and has inspired millions of people, including Grace Kim (12) who sees her story as “extremely uplifting and encouraging.”

We are a society ruled by efficiency and results. We are driven by the idea of success, so much that it blinds us from the steps and precautions needed to reach our hopes and dreams. As time goes on, however, what is most valuable is not how fast a goal is reached. It is the quality and maintenance that makes it significant. This is achieved through the strong will to persevere. Perseverance is something that will take you far in life whether it be in high school, college, life, or career. If not for perseverance, one is highly probable to lose the great opportunities had they continued to persevere to achieve them. What’s your decision? Will you persevere today for a brighter tomorrow? Your decision may affect more than yourself; it could impact and ignite an entire planet.