What is the hardest thing to do as a mortal human being? Yes, resurrection is pretty difficult for us to pull off. So is underwater basket weaving. But I’m talking about something completely different. I’m talking perseverance.

It’s that thing where you’re seeing double and stumbling from one task to the next, but you still keep doing things.

No, you know, that’s not right. That’s just dumb. If you’re seeing double and can’t keep your footing, perhaps a nap is needed.

So take a nap. When I say nap, I mean 20 minute naps. 3 hour naps aren’t naps anymore. That’s practically a good night’s sleep. After that reasonably timed nap, keep on going. The nap will align your vision, and you can see just one of everything again, and it should keep your feet strong and steady.

After your break, you have to keep going, because if you stop for too long you’ll start to grow roots wherever you happen to have parked, and it will be all the harder to get up again.

I’m saying this as someone who very nearly wimped out and didn’t write you lovely readers an article this week. I was exhausted. It’s hard keeping up with classes and work and homework and writing 1,667 words every day for NaNoWriMo (and people think we can have a social life? Ha!).

But once you start skipping things, the easier it will become to continue skipping things, and what good will that do you? You go to school for a reason, you work for a reason, you do that other thing I know nothing about for a reason. It’s not like you can just skip out on life.

The mark of a truly successful person is perseverance. Even though things get hard, life gets you down, even though tragedy strikes at the most inconvenient of times, even though relationships crumble and people can be horrible, keep on going. I promise, you will be able to look back and be proud you got through it alive. As long as you know it’s okay to lay down and take a nap every once in a while, as long as it isn’t in the middle of the road.