3 Rules of Perseverance...

Nothing Happens Overnight The long road to success in life can be daunting or liberating, depending on your perspective. We get to decide what we experience in our own individual process. “Nothing has any meaning but the meaning you give it…” T. Robbins This is how one person can believe that not getting a task right the first time is an indication of whether or not you should try again or move on and another simply feels the supposed failure is just a part of the eventual triumph. In my professional career, I spend a large amount of my time analyzing ways to improve my portfolio by making quality professional connections (which is hard for me, because I like to observe and not interact as much), making sure I attend all sorts of professional development seminars (I actually enjoy them and there is usually free lunch, lol) and going above and beyond when completing a task. I have been on so many interviews and taken so many grunt work jobs (even work for free), that it would make many say, “Why do you keep putting yourself through that?” or “Just find a nice job and retire.” If finding a nice job and retiring suited my spirit, by all means I would do just that, but for some reason unbeknown to me, I desire something much different. The road to realizing your goals can be very challenging, so I decided to compile a list of three specifically important things I feel will help you continue to trek that undiscovered terrain in order to see your goals manifested. 1. Focus: Focus on one aspect of your goals at a time. Trying to juggle several different interests is possible but know that either you have to move slower or be careful not to neglect one for the other. If you make a conscious decision to put something on the back burner, you can use all of your attention to focus on the other and get more done in the process. I choose to focus on being a great mother first and second my career. While I get plenty done towards my career, I know that if I push too hard, I will likely neglect my children. So I move slower, in order to give them my undivided attention, but in the end I am okay with that because if I’m not being a great mother then the career accomplishments won’t matter anyway. 2. Patience: We often hear people tell us to be patient for everything; be patient with your children, be patient with a mate, be patient on the job, etc. But I’ve learned that “being” patient is an act that sometimes leaves us still battling with the feeling of want on the inside. If we practice instead to “embody” patience, then we don’t have to tell ourselves anything on the inside because we live in a constant place of patience, a continuous place of peace and gratitude. Finding gratitude is the surest way to this level of patience. Realize that you cannot control every outcome of each and every experience. Which, would you really want to be in charge of all of that detail anyway? 3. Create a bubble: Creating a bubble of influence has many components, from monitoring who you spend your time with to being aware of the influences that affect your emotions and state of mind on a daily basis. If you’re a nerd much like myself, then you may not enjoy going out to clubs, so you wouldn’t surround yourself with club-goers only to feel out of place among your social group. Feeling out of place has a negative effect on your self-esteem. When you’re working on projects and ideas that are more nerd-like (lol) you may find yourself with no one to truly share them with. If you can’t share exciting goals with people who get you, you may begin to feel discouraged altogether. Social support plays a huge role in getting you to your goals and enjoying the process; win, lose or draw. Of course there are several other important aspects to seeing your goals through, even in challenging times, but these resonate most closely with me. Nothing happens overnight, most often the success you see others enjoy is a culmination of years of hard work below the radar, menial jobs, free work, sleepless nights, consistent “failures”, lots of solitude, etc. Imagine my dismay when I read that most authors write five books before they earn professional writing salaries. Well, I’m putting out my third novel this year, so what use to seem like an insurmountable task is now just a way of life. We all want a successful journey, but a peaceful one that we can feel gratitude for and enjoy, is so important too. Have a productive and peaceful week! ~Jam