VALUE OF PERSISTENCY.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VIII, Issue 714, 21 October 1914, Page 7

VALUE OF PERSISTENCY.

Throughout life theve are a great many traits and characteristics that go to mark the business man. Some have, faithfulness, others determination, others energy, and so on. But to actually determine the relative value of these characteristics is a most unusual proceeding, and one that reflected great credit upon the man who did this. In his remarkable book, "Hoiv to Get and Keep a Job," Nathaniel C. Fowler, jun., has made quite plain the actual value of persistency. He did this by talking with or writing to two hundred and ninety-eight examples of men who have made a great success in life, a success that put them really in the leadership of their class of work, whether it were trade, business or profession. Mr. Fowler's question was alike to each one of these men. It was, "To what one thing, or to what two or three things, do you attribute your success?" When all these replies were rounded up and tabulated, Mr. Fowler found that persistence led the list. That the ability to persistently stick to their task, whether it was selling cabbages or finding new microbes, was what, made them successful was the claim of sixty-six of these men. This is the manner in- which the author tabulated his list: PERSISTENCY, stick-to-it-ivencss

This shows, not only that persistency is the most valuable thing for a man to have who would succeed, but that those characteristics which aro closely allied with it, si:cli as constant hard work and application, are a close second in value. To a young man who would honestly succeed, then, the first thing to tell him is, "Be persistent." The writer explains that he came in contact with thousands of successful business .men, men who were, in the common phrase, "self-made," jmen, who achieved something' worth while through their own efforts, not through capital inherited or otherwise given them, and that he found every one of these men to ha persistent. Nearly all these men say tlrey selected their walk in-life before reached -maturity, before, tV-y cut of their "teens," and that wy sticking persistently to their plans they builtup successes.

and constancy .. .. 66 . .. 59 Hard ivork, etc. 51 Industry ; • ■ ,. .. 23 90 Concentration .. .. .... . . .. 20 Earnest desire to succeed ?. . ,. .. 19 . .. 14 ' .. 8 Determination .. . .. 8 ,. ..293