Lessons Of Perseverance From Science That Can Help YOU!

On July 30, 2020, the coastal city of Florida was abuzz with excitement. The world was in the middle of a pandemic, and this American city was going to witness a scientific breakthrough. What could this breakthrough be? A vaccine? A better test for viral infections? A stronger mask?

Nope!

It was the launch of the Perseverance Rover to Mars! What made this rover special? Perseverance was going to bring Martian soil and rock samples back to Earth! Think about it, all this time everything we have studied or tested has one way or the other originated from Earth or the Moon. But now, for the first time in history, we would be studying materials that came from a whole different planet! What brought us to this remarkable moment in the history of science? The perseverance of scientists.

A design mock-up of the Perseverence Rover on Mars!

Be it Galileo who was first curious about the heavenly bodies in the night sky or the team of Apollo 11 who wanted to put a man on the moon; success didn’t come easily to any of them. But it was their relentless pursuit of knowledge that helped humanity move ahead one step at a time in understanding our universe. The Perseverance Rover is the fruit of scientists’ perseverance.

Science’s Secret Ingredient
The world of science is replete with such examples. Whether it was Edison, who tried a 1000 different materials till he found the right filament for a light bulb or NASA themselves who took 20 tries to launch their very first rocket, the secret to success in science is perseverance and a spirit to keep learning.

Don’t believe us? Then hear it from award-winning scientists themselves!

A 2016 panel of Nobel Laureates and venerated scientists at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, said their one unanimous message to students is that perseverance pays. “Experiments don’t always go the way you want,” said Elissa Hallem, panel member and winner of a MacArthur Fellowship. “You need the persistence to keep adapting to changing circumstances,” she said.

That’s true, isn’t it!

If Edison had stopped after 100 experiments, we might not have seen a lightbulb in time!

The next natural question then is: What about life at large? Is perseverance the secret ingredient there too?

How To Build Rome
Have you heard of the idiom, “Rome wasn’t built in a day”? Its literal meaning is that the great city of Rome took time to build, and took even longer to become prosperous. The glory of Rome is that even to this day, we all talk about Caesar and his empire’s contributions to history. But the philosophical meaning of this idiom is that success needs perseverance.

The stories of gladiators from Rome still attract people from all over the world to the city!

We all face difficult situations in our daily life. It could be an exam we are preparing for or an assignment that we can’t seem to figure out. These problems could very well make us feel like we can’t overcome them. They could make us doubt our abilities or lose confidence. But that’s the time to invoke the secret ingredient of science and persevere!

Most successful people reach a position of excellence because they don’t give up in the face of difficulty. At this very moment, you have the potential to overcome the obstacles bothering you too – all you need to do is believe in yourself, work hard and persevere. With consistent effort and work, you can surpass your difficulties and build your achievements the size of Rome too!

The next time you feel stuck in a situation and need the motivation to move ahead, we hope you remember the stories of the people who built Rome and those who reached for the stars- they could achieve amazing things because of their perseverance and you too can!

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