OK, let’s talk about persistence. For starters, how many old sayings, aphorisms and clichés are there about persistence?
“The early bird gets the worm.”
“Slow and steady wins the race.”
“If at first you don’t succeed, try again.”
“ If life gives you lemons, make lemonade. “
The list goes on and on. Persistence is a really important element in being successful; but, at the same time, it can be troublesome to many.
The problem with the road to success is that many people only picture the destination, not the journey. When they do this, they not only fail to see that true success is not a destination (it’s a lifelong process) but they also fail to see the potential problems that routinely occur when striving for success.
The road is not always a straight shot. This means that when problems do occur, the unprepared person is stopped dead in their tracks. In their confusion, they forget where they were going and why and, instead, head back to where they came from.
When you are prepared for and anticipate the setbacks that can and will happen on the journey to success, you are ready to repair, rethink and reengage. The persistent person understands that failure is a temporary condition that affects everyone at one time or another before they reach their goal.
They also understand that failure and setbacks teach powerful lessons that ultimately make you stronger. As Gandhi said, “strength does not come through winning. Instead strength comes through failure. When you struggle and decide not to quit, that is strength.”
It’s easy to quit when situations don’t go as planned but living with the consequences is worse. Do you think that the Wright Brothers or Walt Disney gave up when their ideas weren’t embraced and they were laughed at? Did J. K. Rowlings give up her quest to publish the Harry Potter series after being rejected 12 times> No. They believed in their ideas enough to keep going until they reached success. You can, too.
It is persistence which leads to resiliency, and points to why every successful business leader understands that setbacks are opportunities in disguise. ‘Stuff’ is going to happen – the hard part is not letting this stop you. Use these earlier success stories as inspiration and motivation to follow the path to success.
We can help you to be more persistent and confident in your leadership abilities, so you become an elite leader. Reach out to learn more.