Photo by Nancy Harmsen on Unsplash
I would argue that perseverance is the most essential quality in business.
However, it’s about not using it as a stick to beat yourself with.
Being self-employed can be a tough gig at times. Hoping that each piece of business comes off, or you’ll get that piece of work for which you’ve put yourself forward.
I have been lucky the past few years to have had more than enough coaching clients and training programmes to keep me busy.
This year didn’t quite go to plan. I found myself having quiet months where I had to re-market my services.
However, it reminded me that I do have one quality that has seen me through before.
Perseverance. A value not to be underestimated.
It doesn’t mean pushing yourself to extremes. It doesn’t mean driving yourself to burnout.
It means reflecting, reassessing, but never giving up.
Sometimes on tough days, I think, ‘Ah, heck, I’ll just try and get a job, it’ll be easier.’
But that’s not why I went out on my own. I wanted to make a difference. I wanted to be able to choose the work I do. I love the work I do as an executive coach and a trainer. Love it.
I have had wonderful days where my sense of achievement and purpose was as high as I needed it to be.
And there will be more days like that because when you persevere, hard work makes it inevitable that things will swing in your favour eventually.
As my dear dad used to say, ‘The harder you work, the luckier you get.’
Perseverance is part of the process of growth. But it takes time and patience.
For example, I have recently started doing the ParkRun. I am a plodder. My competitive nature made me impatient. I felt like a huge failure.
After my second ParkRun, I looked at the statistics of the people in my age group who had completed the run. Over 70% of them had done more than 25 parkruns.
I had done 3! So I will persevere and I will improve! All hope is not lost!
The wonderful thing about perseverance is that you have the choice to keep going. You have the choice to give it one more go. You have the choice to keep putting in the effort.
And there is no greater feeling in the world than when you see those efforts bear fruit.
So if you are struggling today, remember –
“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.” —Confucius
If you would like to have your resilience or adaptability measured (among other traits) or you would like some coaching to help develop your perseverance, please do get in touch at justine@proactivecoaching.ie
I also offer a one-hour complimentary strategy session to help individuals and teams look at how they can develop their business EQ. Please email me to book a session, and I will send you my calendar to book in.
Thank you.
P.S. Sorry if the swear word in the image offends you, but it made me laugh!
