Possibility and Perseverance
At an early age I realized I had the choice to listen to others opinions or forge my way through life listening to what’s most important to ME. I realized that I had the ability to be laser focused on one goal, to move through challenges gracefully and to dream big. These skills of perseverance and possibility came from seeing that if I could visualize it, it was possible. If someone said I couldn’t (put up blocks or sowed doubt), I felt indifferent and I was able to feel compassionate that they may have missed out on their dreams by putting up constraints.
Here’s an example of a time when these two values of mine came to play. It was 2008, I was working in Newport Beach as the Regional Training Manager at lululemon when the economical crisis hit. Warren Buffet explains it here. I had all the faith in the world that we were going to thrive through this time and come out with strategic changes that would have a lasting impact. Motivating the teams to stay strong, vulnerable and compassionate kept the business afloat. I will always remember this time, the choices that I made and how to keep going even when there is so much unknown.
So what are my learnings around how to live in possibility and perseverance? Here are some tips:
1) Stay NEUTRAL
Good News? Bad news? Who knows? This famous parable explains staying neutral:
A farmer’s only horse ran away. The neighbours, trying to console him, said, “What terrible news about your horse. What will you do?” But the farmer said, “Bad news, good news… who knows?”
A few days later, the horse returned, leading an entire herd of wild horses. The neighbours exclaimed, “How wonderful!” The farmer replied, “Good news, bad news… who knows?”
The next day, the farmer’s son tried to ride one of the new horses. The horse threw the son, who broke both legs. The neighbours said, “What a misfortune! Your son won’t be able to work on the farm.” The farmer stood still and said, “Bad news, good news… who knows?”
Within the week, news of a war had broken out. Soldiers arrived in the village, taking new recruits. All the young men were drafted to fight, except for the farmer’s son.
Good news? Bad news? Who knows?
2) Take on your development in a BIG way!
I’m not talking about reading here or there or manifesting what you want. I’m talking transformational moments that change the way you think, communicate and your entire belief systems. Here are some people and courses that have made me into who I am today:
- Get to know Brian Tracy (specifically, his book Goals and his audiobooks).
- Landmark Education (many mixed feelings with this course, made an informed choice before signing up).
- Check out this book Grit by Angela Duckworth: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.
3) Cultivating a practice of meditation, health and wellness.
4) Be laser focused with your goals.
>Get clear on your goals, to do this, you can write a list of the 10 important things in your life. Think about these categories: personal, spiritual, health, family and career to name a few.
- Share your goals + create a support system to keep you “in” your goals. You can share them verbally, in written form and with people that will support you.
- Make a commitment to yourself. This can sound like “I am 100% a YES for my goals and am committed to working on them daily”
- Take action towards your goals everyday. This can sound like “I run 1x a day for 20 mins” or “I eat greens at every meal starting now”.
The key here is find what works for you, customize your journey to continue to clear the blocks that can get in the way and thrive through challenge. Practice the pause. The Pause is where you will discover the learnings that will keep you in the “growth mindset”. Like Victor Frankl said “Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”
With hope,
Cecily
