One common trait you find amongst many successful people, both islamically and in a dunyawi sense, is persistence. You see in some of these motivational videos, that it’s actually tenacity which makes an ordinary person achieve greatness.

Doing the same thing again and again, pushing oneself even in the face of failure. This can be when trying to establish a business/legacy, when trying to memorise Qur’an, trying to stop smoking etc. Persistence is key to achieving the goals you set out.

When you reflect on Ibrahim (as), he kept persisting in confronting idolatry, or the Prophet (saws) himself, giving da’wah when the likes of Abu Lahab were continuously mocking him, or persisting even after the setback in Taif. In contemporary times, the likes of Abdul Rahman al-Sumait during his charity work in Africa leaving such a legacy and many others.

In the dunya, loads of examples of individuals and companies who just kept chugging away through difficult times – Elon Musk, JK Rowling, Air Bnb (no particular reason why I chose these 3!), who at every setback just continued.

I personally know someone who at a young age has achieved so much and I knew it from the moment I met him. He just had that drive, vision and just powered through obstacles in his way. Even if it meant organisational hierarchy, he just pummelled through! People got annoyed on the way, but in the end he delivered and reached where he wanted to be.

The above types of people keep driving forward, and when setbacks happen, they don’t see them as blockers, but a hurdle they need to jump over. This motivational spiel for myself is over , but there’s no doubt that success favours the brave and determined!