导 读：人生猶如一场马拉松比赛，能够获得最后胜利的人，不会是一开始就用尽全力的人，也不会是半途而废的人，而是能够在比赛过程中找到一个坚持的理由，支撑自己跑到终点的人。

Why would you want to persist in anything？ Thats a very good question. Actually， why would you want to persist？ Answer that question in a way that is personally meaningful to you， and you greatly empower your persistence.

Persistence asks effort and sacrifice， and in order to pay the price you must have a compelling reason. No one can persist for very long in the pursuit of something they do not truly desire. In such a case， attempts at persistence only lead to failure and disillusionment. It is important to differentiate between the object of your persistence and the challenges put by that persistence. For example， you may be able to persist in a job you dislike because it is the only way for you to make the money necessary to provide your children with a quality education. In this case， the object of your persistence is not your job. It is your childrens education. The job is what you persist through， not what you persist for. Whatever you persist for must be meaningful enough and desirable enough to supply the energy for your persistence. Make sure you know what it is， clearly and specifically. Anyone can endure almost anything if the reason is meaningful enough. Find a good reason to persist， and you will.

Vocabulary

persist v. 坚持

sacrifice n. 牺牲

disillusionment n. 幻灭，破灭

endure v. 忍耐，容忍

（你坚持的理由是什么？找到一个富有意义的明确目标，你会更容易坚持下去！）

胡兰 改编