Persistence is painful

We hear stories about people who overcome insurmountable odds. But most success depends on dealing with the mundane setbacks we all face, every day.

This article was produced out of News Decoder’s school partnership program. Conor Hall is a student at The Tatnall School in the United States, a News Decoder partner institution. Learn more about how News Decoder can work with your school.

We all face obstacles in life. It is a pillar of daily life. Whether you’re living without electricity or getting a flat tire on your way to work everyone has hurdles to overcome.

Take professional basketball star V.J. Edgecombe. He grew up in a modest home on Bimini, an economically-limited island in the Bahamas, where he was shaped by resilience. In an interview with The Nassau Guardian, he said, “There were nights the lights just went out.”

Thousands of miles away, in a small apartment in Wilmington in the U.S. state of Delaware, my dad remembers a different kind of darkness. He came out of law school with student loans and had to help pay his parents’ bills even as he juggled internships and clerkships to gain law experience. He was 25 and thrown straight into the world.

“I remember staring at the ceiling at 2 a.m.,” he said. “Not because the lights were off, but because my mind wouldn’t shut off.”

Two completely different places. Two completely different lives. One commonality: the grind of pushing forward when the odds feel pushed against you.

Facing adversity

Edgecombe’s journey from the island of Bimini to national attention offers a compelling entry point. But, the real story isn’t just about one athlete. It’s about the daily grind of resilience that people are faced with each day, from a small island located in the Atlantic Ocean to a working class neighborhood in the United States.

People are met by financial stress, career setbacks, doubt and the stubborn choice to try again.

The American Psychological Association defines resilience as “adapting well in the face of adversity”. Researchers emphasize that resilience isn’t rare or heroic, but it’s built in everyday moments.

In other words, obstacles aren’t exceptional. They’re routine.

On Bimini, opportunity could feel distant. Edgecombe grew up with limited resources. Caribbean athletes often face fewer development facilities and less exposure than their U.S. counterparts. His climb required repetition, patience and belief before recognition ever came.

Pushing back on setbacks

My dad’s setbacks came quietly. An important legal case would go sideways, he’d have a bad deposition or maybe he’d have to stay up all night to get a legal brief done.

“It makes you work harder,” he said. “When it feels like everyone else has figured something out that you haven’t.”

He worked long hours, accepted cases that weren’t glamorous and did work that required swallowing pride. There was no applause or special rewards. It was just routine.

The Harvard Business Review has published research suggesting that perseverance matters deeply, but so does timing and having personal networks and access. Hard work increases opportunity, but it does not guarantee it.

“You can do everything right and still hit a wall,” my dad said. “The main thing is deciding that the wall isn’t your stopping point.”

Imperceptible progress

Some argue that stories of resilience risk oversimplifying hardship. Not every setback is a stepping stone. Structural barriers like economic equality, limited access and unexpected crises shape outcomes long before hard work does.

Personally, I learned early that resilience doesn’t always look dramatic. My freshman year of high school, I tore my patella tendon playing basketball, an injury that immediately took me away from the game I loved. While recovering, I suffered a setback that forced me to miss my sophomore season. Just when things finally started to feel normal again, I broke my thumb during my junior year and missed most of that season, too.

For a while, it felt like every step forward came with another obstacle waiting around the corner. But those injuries taught me patience, discipline and how to keep showing up even when progress felt invisible.

By my senior year, I was finally healthy enough to play again, and after everything I had been through, earning honorable mention in my conference meant more than just recognition on the court. It was proof that persistence can outlast setbacks.

Edgecombe kept training even when the lights flickered. My dad kept working, studying and adjusting, even when doubt felt louder than confidence. Neither knew when things would turn.

Moving on without motivation

Obstacles rarely arrive dramatically. They show up in missed promotions, medical bills and in mornings when motivation feels thin.

They show up when your car won’t start. They show up when the job interview ends with, “We’ll be in touch.” They show up in silence.

“People think resilience means being fearless,” my dad said. “It’s not. It’s being scared and moving on anyway.”

That kind of courage doesn’t make headlines. It makes rent, it makes dinner and it makes it to the next day.

Back on the island, the generator hums. The court lines are faded, and the backboard still rattles with every shot. Edgecombe once said that the darkness never scared him, it sharpened him.

In our house, everything stays steady now. The late night kitchen table covered with cross examinations are just a faint memory. This is all proof that persistence results in slow painful progress long before it looks like success.

Obstacles are something each of us encounter. They land in stadiums and kitchens alike. But somewhere, under flickering lights or fluorescent office ceilings, someone is lacing up, logging in or lighting a candle, ready to try again today.

Questions to consider:

1. What is meant by “resilience”?

2. In what ways can obstacles be hard to see?

3. What obstacles have you faced in your pursuit of something you wanted or needed?