Persistence is one of the cornerstones of successfully achieving our goals. Every worthy goal that we have comes with its own unique set of challenges and obstacles to overcome. In order to achieve our goals, we must persist and find ways to work around the difficult times.
August Renoir, the famous Impressionist painter, started working at the young age of thirteen in a porcelain factory painting designs on China. The owner of the factory recognized his talent and suggested to his parents to enroll him is art school. He continued to work in the porcelain factory while studying painting until his job was eliminated when the factory began to use a mechanical reproduction process.
He struggled financially while studying painting and at time did not even have enough money to buy paint. In France, at the time, the Salons controlled the art world and could make and break painters. Renoir did not have much success with the salons and decided instead to push forward with other artists to set up their own Impressionist art exhibitions. Over time, he gained renown through this strategy. By his late thirties he was a successful painter.
Life did not remain easy for Renoir. In his fifties, he developed rheumatoid arthritis in his hands which made painting very difficult. Over the next twenty years, the arthritis and progressive deformities in his hands and his shoulder forced him to change his painting technique. Yet, he continued to paint. Renoir confided in his friend and fellow artist, Matisse that “The beauty remains; the pain passes.”
Renoir persisted despite both physical and financial difficulties to become one of the most renowned painters of all time. What beauty can we create by persisting through the difficulties and obstacles in our own goal paths?
Sources:
Perseverance – 99 Success Stories, Michael Staeicki and Jeannie Ingraham, 2015
Wikepedia
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