Where persistence stops and stubbornness begins?

It was hot and steamy day, quite unusual circumstances for Belgium. I was looking for every excuse not to go jogging. (Don’t get me wrong, I love jogging, but sometimes is hard to get moving). It was already four in the afternoon I and I haven’t gone jogging jet. I was cleaning apartment and searching every excuse not to go: “oh, is too warm, oh I need to clean the place, etc.”

Finally around five I have put my jogging outfit on and left the apartment. My goal was clear 1.30h, and 7 times uphill. When I started I felt like sweaty inflated balloon with heavy anchor on my back. Not promising start I would say.

Hill appeared in my horizon and it was time to “dig in”. My first uphill was so-called average. While I was on top of the hill I got shivers: “I am able to run, while others cannot, due to their sickness or other restrains”. I decided I am not going to run for me, but for them. That boosted my motivation; now at sudden seemed that I am doing something worth it, something for them. My legs didn’t feel tired anymore and I had goal. My seventh lap was easy and went home energized.

One thing came to my mind while I was jogging. Where is the line between persistence and stubbornness?

As usual I run to my resort of definitions in dictionaries. There I found explanation that, Persistence is defined as continues steadfastly or firmly in some state, purpose, course of action, or the like, especially in spite of opposition, remonstrance, etc. and while… stubbornness is unreasonably, often perversely unyielding; bullheaded, but characterized by perseverance; persistence.

So for days I have tried to find explanation between them. How do you define when you are been persistent and when you are just stubborn bull. And why is stubbornness defined as negative.

I was thinking about mad scientists like Tesla who failed several times to discover one light bulb. Or other passionate people, declared by the ordinary people that there crazy people. (Einstein, Jobs, Curie, and many many more)

After intense search for days, I couldn’t find the fine line where the persistence ends and stubbornness begins. For me both of them had positive notation.

My point of view is simple, that you need to be persistent and constant your actions to get results (either is work, jogging, or whatever you are fighting for) and sometimes you need to be a bit stubborn.

At that moment I thought to myself: What does never get any result of progress?

That is being not persistence, fleeting, temporary….

And there lied my answer. The only limit between persistence and stubbornness is giving up.