Perseverance

Perseverance is the steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state of continuance.   Wow, big words.  Many of us do this every day in our daily life and we barely think about it.

One of the most difficult things I’ve had to do this past year is convert a vision in to a concrete idea and subsequently into something I could touch, a prototype.  This was not a one step process, but rather a year-long man hunt for the right person, the right engineer, a tool maker, and so on.  Communicating a precise idea to someone else and having them draw and develop a product is no easy task; rather, a complicated and costly one.

It’s easy to get discouraged along the way and to loose vision of the end goal.  Really easy. I will tell you that I’ve gotten impatient, upset, angry, and short sighted many times this past year.  I’ve paid for someone else’s time do to something I know I could do better if I only knew how do do CAD drawings.

How about the most expensive cup of coffee, ever?  Yup, a $250 cold coffee to meet with intellectual property attorneys?  Let’s just add a 5hour round trip every time I need to meet with the engineer, materials supplier or manufacturer?  And finally, let’s not forget the $2990.91 prototype that is sitting on my desk that looks good but doesn’t function because the engineer did not measure properly?

The list could go on and on. But it wont’.  Rather, I choose to focus on the small achievements along the way that are leading me to the end result.  I am happy to have an amazing group of people around me who encourage me along the way and remind me WHY I am doing this.

If you are a step by step person, let’s look at it this way:

4 Steps to Achieve any goal:

1. Set a goal and have a plan. You won’t get far if you don’t know where you’re going. This relates to loosing weight, getting organized, or a new business.
2. Recognize your accomplishments: Honor the small accomplishments toward your goal in order to keep your motivation high.  Did you loose a pound this week?  Did you get your to-do list done?
3. Set up a support network: Do you have friends and family to help you keep focused and motivated?  It’s a great feeling when they can celebrate the small milestones with you.
4. Make a commitment to yourself: Gather up your will power and remind yourself often why you chose to set this goal.  Commitment comes from within.

Press on, go on, and on… We all have challenges to overcome.  You will encounter pebbles and boulders along the way but it’s our attitude that separates the achievers from the quitters.  Staying positive, even in the loosing moments, will help you endure the challenge.

What are some of the challenges you are facing?