The Right Kind of Stubborn

Persistence should be a feature, not a suicide pact. When you are fighting your way through the jungle, take out your compass regularly and make sure you are headed in the right direction.

Despite their appearances, some forms of persistence are actually forms of avoidance,4 driven by fear (of failure, for example). Workaholism and perfectionism are examples. These rigid forms of persistence carry with them a strong negative health impact as well as leading people to ignore relationships and recreation.