Sthairyam (स्थैर्यम्) means perseverance and steadfast effort towards a goal that you have committed yourself to. Buddhism’s warning to the curious is "Better not to start, once begun better to finish." This simply means that half-work is just a dangerous as half-knowledge and there is no place for dilettantism when it comes to the serious work of putting your life in order. You can master any skill if you work persistently in simple and small steps, emphasising the positive and gently edging yourself forward. Practice precision, practice getting skilful in doing mundane tasks that you’d usually zone out of and instead, really be present. As you choose to give yourself completely to this work, there is the element of loss, of giving up the distractions and diversions that hitherto pulled you into into the easy flow of life. If you lament these things that you have to leave behind, the time you have had to give and give up for this work, and the still long road with its sacrifices ahead, you’ll hardly have the peace of mind to persevere. If instead, you focus on the next small step, the work seems less insurmountable, and lesser still thereafter.

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