As I sit down to write today, my thoughts are filled with one word, “persistence”. It’s a term that often feels so overused, yet it is the quiet force that has shaped my life in ways I never expected. Persistence isn’t flashy. It doesn’t demand attention. But it shows up, day after day, no matter how tough the journey gets.
For me, persistence has been the steady hand that guided me when I thought life had given up on me. Losing my sight wasn’t just a chapter of my life, it was a complete rewrite of everything I thought I knew about myself and the world. And let me tell you, it wasn’t a graceful transition. It was messy. It was painful. And at times, it felt impossible to overcome.
But here’s the thing about persistence, it doesn’t ask for perfection. It doesn’t even ask for optimism. All it asks is that you try again.
I remember the first time I tried to navigate a screen reader. My fingers fumbled across the keyboard, my ears strained to make sense of the robotic voice spitting out words faster than I could process. I wanted to quit. I wanted to yell, “This isn’t for me!” But something deep inside whispered, “Keep going.”
And so I did.
Fast forward to today, and I’ve turned that persistence into power. Navigating digital spaces as a blind person isn’t just something I’ve mastered, it’s something I now teach others to do. But none of this happened overnight. It took countless hours of frustration, moments of self-doubt, and the relentless decision to show up for myself, even when it felt like the world wasn’t.
Persistence isn’t just about achieving your goals. It’s about the person you become in the process. It’s about learning to embrace the small victories: getting through one more hour of work when you’re tired, showing up to the gym even when you don’t feel like it, or simply waking up and deciding to try again after yesterday’s failures.
I won’t pretend it’s easy. There are days when persistence feels like dragging a boulder uphill. But here’s what I’ve learned, the climb always makes you stronger. And sometimes, the summit isn’t what you expect. Sometimes, persistence leads you to places you never dreamed of, and you look back in awe at the journey you’ve traveled.
So today, I want to remind you, and myself, that persistence doesn’t have to be perfect. It just has to be present. Keep showing up. Keep trying. Keep believing in the power of small, consistent steps. Because one day, when you least expect it, you’ll look back and realize just how far you’ve come.