Are you determined? Really?
My previous blogs identified three of the five core values of a Quantum Leap Thinker: Respect, Accountability, Integrity, Perseverance and Discipline and explored the first, respect. Let’s take a brief look at “Perseverance.”
Press on. Nothing in the world can take the place of perseverance.
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.
—CALVIN COOLIDGE, thirtieth president of the United States
The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines “Perseverance” as a: continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure, or opposition: the action or condition or an instance of persevering: STEADFASTNESS
Perseverance is almost always instilled in childhood, or else the retraining process will consume valuable time. That doesn’t mean that you can shift your thinking and become steadfast.
Susan Granger, my other half and my greatest support, told me a story. When she was a little girl, her father would ask her, ‘‘What did you accomplish today?’’
If she had abandoned something because she was discouraged or distracted, she was reminded each night at dinner of her mission: to accomplish something each day. Her father’s daily interest in her progress embedded deep within her the value of accomplishment, of perseverance, a characteristic she exhibits today. To please her father, and ultimately to please herself, she persevered.
So, the question is, “What did you accomplish today?” “What do you want to accomplish tomorrow?”
James Mapes is the founder of Quantum Leap Thinking™, creator of The Transformational Coach™, expert on the psychology of “applied imagination,” best-selling author, highly acclaimed business speaker, consultant, seminar leader and personal excellence coach.