The Power of Persistence

When it comes to achieving goals of any nature, you will find persistence as
the key ingredient that makes it possible. Whether our goals are related to
our home & family, business & income, organization & personal
improvement – no matter the area or goal, what will determine your
success will be in direct correlation to your persistence!

Many of us know of the story of Abraham Lincoln…he had many failed
attempts in his life, yet he persisted and overcame and went on to be a very
influential President of the United States. Had he given up at his first or
second or third attempt, none of us would of known his name.

Persistence isn’t always easy – it’s tough to not give in to self-doubt or
others opinions, or the actual results we may be looking at, yet that is what
makes it so noble and impactful to our lives!

In pursuing our goals, the most important piece of a goal is WHO we
become in the process…it’s the learning and self-mastery that are the real
gems of the goal setting and goal achievement process. Those are lessons
and skills we keep forever!

So whether your goal is to be happily married, keep your laundry room
organized, publish a book, or start a business, the power of persistence
will always be your deciding factor.

To become more persistent with your own goals, consider these five things:

1. Persistence Trumps Talent. Realize that achievements don’t
always go to the brightest or most talented in life, but to the most
persistent. Knowing this should give you a greater vote of confidence that
what you want to achieve is in your direct control by your own commitment
and persistence. Persistent people find a way to their goals. They may have
detours, they may need to learn a new skill to succeed, but they work
through the obstacles before them to persist to success versus be stopped
by the obstacle.

2. Make a Decision. “Doing isn’t difficult, Deciding Is.” – Foster
Hubbard. At the root of persistence is decision or commitment. Have you
actually chosen this goal consciously or simply allowed your emotion to
think of it as a good idea at the moment? Make a conscious decision to be
more kind or romantic in your marriage. Make a decision to get healthy and
lose 10 pounds. Make a decision to write your book 15 minutes every day.
By consciously choosing and claiming what we’re after, we have put a stake
in the ground for what we’ll be accomplishing. As the famous French poet,
Johann Goethe has said, “There is one elementary truth that when one
commits, Providence moves too.” When we are both feet in the boat,
committed, and firmly on the path, we are mentally prepared to work
through any obstacle that would require persistence in the first place. Clear
decision is half the journey to goal achievement.

3. Manage the Self Talk. Many times the struggle we are
feeling or facing is simply emotional overwhelm and the self-judgments we
are assigning to ourselves. We forget that it’s about PROGRESS NOT
PERFECTION on this journey of life. Choose thoughts or affirmations that
support you and encourage you. Realize that it’s about the commitment to
the goal and it’s okay to take small steps.

4. Chunk It Down. Take your goals and make them scalable.
One of my favorite goal setting techniques is called the MTO formula by
Raymond Aaron. MTO stands for Minimum, Target, and Outrageous. Give
yourself the minimum, must do amount, Target, and then the Outrageous
level for all of your goals. By making them scalable and bite size pieces, we
stay checked in and motivated versus the all or nothing perfectionistic
thinking approach.

5. Enroll a Friend. Accountability significantly increases your
odds of sticking with your goals and following through. Get a workout
buddy, accountability partner, coach, or friend who can help hold you
accountable to your goals and provide the necessary support and sounding
board when you’re working through a new idea or overcoming the rough
spots along the way. This support will greatly aid you in being persistent
and therefore, successful, in achieving your goals.

You can achieve anything you choose to persist in. You have what it takes!
Choose to be persistent and persevere to creating what you really want in
your life, home, and results.