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 Power Of Persistence
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From my own personal experience, I can tell you that persistence is powerful. Following a near-fatal accident in 1989, I was told that I would not walk, so I learned to run. Today I stand before audiences to share my lessons, in the hope, that I might help others to overcome the challenges, obstacles, and adversities that they face, in both their personal and professional lives. I truly believe, that we can all achieve the goals we set, if we persist.
You have heard it said, “To accomplish anything in life, you need to work hard at it.” Most people who are successful will tell you, that between our intent and its accomplishment, lies the need for persistence. The persistence to give it our best effort, again and again, not allowing ourselves to slow down or get discouraged. You need the courage to do what you have to do; to make the sacrifices that might be needed, and to keep going even when you stumble along the way.
“Successful people are ordinary people who got up one more time than they fell down.” We can all do that. Abraham Lincoln had two businesses fail, he had a nervous breakdown, and he failed in eight election bids before becoming the president of the united states. He was persistent. You can be too!
For the salesman, it is the discipline of constant prospecting, filling the sales funnel, and making the appointments until they reach the targeted number of sales.
For entrepreneurs, it is regularly networking, creating new customers, while making sure the present ones are happy, to consistently build their businesses.
For all of us it is setting clearly defined goals and going after them with tenacity. Seeing the end, and pushing forward in spite of the difficulties, the pain, and the frustration.
Success = Planned Persistent Action + Period of Time
To be successful you must have ‘planned persistent action’ over a ‘period of time’. You need to clearly create a ‘vision’; a picture of exactly what you want the end result to be. Like athletes, you should use all five senses to create this vision. See it, smell it, feel it, taste it and hear it. For me, it was a vision of myself downhill skiing. I could see the brightness of the sun, smell the pine trees, feel the rush of the wind, taste the wetness of the freshly falling snow, and hear the swishing of the flying snow as I made the turns. Following the accident, it took me six years, but I finally stood at the top of the hill and the vision became a reality. When I reached the bottom, I was exhausted and exhilarated. It almost felt like deja-vue.
Once you have the vision, you need to break it down into goals. They need to be smart – Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timed. You need to feel that they are the right ones for you; that they fit your life, your values and your believes. “Whatever your mind can conceive, and your heart can believe, you can achieve.”
The goals are then divided into manageable steps; small doable, daily steps. The secret to success is to celebrate every achievement and to reward yourself, for the hard work along the way.
Robert Fulghum said, “Hold hands and stay together.”
Everything you do in life is easier when you have a support system. You need to have people to encourage you; to cheer you on; and to pick you up when you fall down. You must realize that you do need others and be ready to accept the help, or ask for the help you need.
Recap:
1) Know what you want and why you want it. (Vision)
2) Create an action plan. (Goals and Action Steps)
3) Find people to support you.
“Even when you are on the right track, you will get run over if you just sit there”. – Will Rogers
• Many of us have joined a gym to get in better shape in January. By March, some of us do not even remember which gym we joined.
• We vow to quit smoking and do so, but after 2 months, we get a new job and the pressures comes down on us and we give in, take a cigarette until life is less stressful.
• We commit to losing 30 pounds, and start the diet, but Christmas comes and we slide.
• We plan to make those cold calls, and then decide to write our next presentation first and don’t get back to the calls.
The human spirit is incredible. It is stronger than we ever suspected. It gives us drive, passion, and the power to achieve our dreams. We live most of our lives unaware of just how powerful we are. If you look around, you will find hundreds and thousand of stories of people who overcame horrific circumstances. No matter how adverse the situation was they pushed through to the other side. In the process they changed. They allowed their commitment to the goal to change who they were. In many instances they surprised themselves, doing things that they never dreamed themselves capable of.
“What does not kill you, makes you stronger”- unknown
People have a tendency to give up and allow their persistence to wane because they feel overwhelmed. As we strive to reach our goals, there will be many obstacles and disappointments to weigh us down. Life is like that. But, each time we overcome one, we grow and we become stronger.
What can we do to stay on track when life interrupts our plans?
Just when you get going, something will happen to interrupt the process. To be successful, you need to know how to get back on track. The better you know yourself the better you will be able to put steps in place to do this.
Steps to Help You Stay on Track:
1) Learn what slows you down
2) Use the buddy system (someone to support and encourage you)
3) Chart your successes and failures
4) Celebrate your wins
5) Ask yourself every day-
“What did I do today towards my goal?”
“What can I do better tomorrow?”
6) Routinely re-evaluate you plan, and make sure it is leading you where you want to go. Plan – Act – Evaluate – Correct * Plan – Act – Evaluate - Correct
7) Ask for help. (Most of us will help someone who asks, especially when they follow through on the advice we have given.)
8) Never give up.
People have a tendency to appreciate the Power of Persistence when there is a major catastrophe in their lives. As I learned when I had my accident, a crushed body can heal when persistence is there. However, I truly believe that we must use the power of persistence everyday and it will not only enrich our lives, but it will propel us to success.
I am always looking for new and innovative ways to improve, if you have a suggestion that keeps you on track, please feel free to contact me at mike@thedreambuildersinc.com.
Michael McGauley
The Dream Builders
Giving you the power to make your dreams come true.
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