Do you understand persistence? Do you really understand it? Most of us think we do based on our personal experiences.
Persistence is messy, gritty and just plain stubborn. In business, it is biting into a dream and locking on to it like a mad dog.
No, not like a mad dog…more like an alligator. The alligator clamps down on its prey and rolls it into submission. That is persistence.
Have you seen persistence?
You probably have seen it to some degree. You may know someone who fought and survived a health crisis, or an athlete who accomplished something big, or someone who built a business in the midst of adversity.
What was the goal of the people who you have seen model persistence?
Was it success or was it survival?
Regardless it was fueled by a burning desire to achieve and not give up.
“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan, “Press On!” has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.”
As President Coolidge says, “press on!”
Most people don’t and won’t press on. What separates the winners from the quitters?
Here are three things that you can do to become more persistent and begin winning!
1. Identify what you really want
We can believe that all of our actions are altruistic, but when it comes down to it, all of our actions are based on our desires and what we want.
Desire is the catalyst to change. You see it with superstar athletes. You see it with people who are recovering from addictions. You see it with business owners. You see it with people who have created foundations. All of them have a deep desire to do something or be something.
Most of the time we suppress what we really want. We write most of them off as selfish or unrealistic. What if you dreamed a little bit about what you really want and who it will impact? If you want to be persistent, desire is the engine that fuels it.
2. Get around other winners
Attitude is contagious. You have heard it said that you become like the five people that you hang around the most. If this is true, then we will become like winners if we hang around winners, and we will become like quitters if we hang around quitters.
The only way to win is to persist through failures and hard times. There is no other path. Winners understand this. When we get around winners, we can see that another human being made it through and we start to believe that we can make it too.
We also start to learn that there are no shortcuts to success and the only way to win is to go through the difficult times.
3. Be Disciplined
There will be days when desire will fade. There will be days when you feel alone. These moments are when most people are susceptible to quitting.
The only thing that will carry you through in these moments is self-discipline. Sometimes you will have to pull yourself up by your bootstraps in order to be successful.
Here is the deal. This doesn’t happen overnight. It requires character. Self-discipline is a muscle that must be flexed and exercised. Many agents make the mistake of believing that self-discipline is something that they can call upon and it will always be there for them during challenging times.
It may, but if you are not disciplined in other areas of your life, then it will be very difficult to muster it when it counts the most.
Like I said at the beginning, persistence is messy, gritty, and just plain stubborn. There is no way to fail if you do not quit.
Commit to your success today and renew that commitment everyday.
Identify what you really want and pursue it.
Choose to connect with winners, and have the discipline to take daily action steps towards your goals.
