Keep on Going – The Art of Persistence

We are into the New Year. The New Year gives us the motivation to get things moving. People are keen to get back to work and get things cracking.

What happens when the shine falls off the New Year and we are faced with those annoying things which had us looking forward to the end of year break? Those things which made us think ‘oh it will be better next year’ or ‘it will be right’. Because, of course, a holiday will miraculously make everything better. In my experience the holiday doesn’t make it better. Sooner or later those annoyances will reappear.

These annoyances can be many things. A team member who continues to take actions which create more work for you. Predominantly fixing up their mistakes. The cumbersome system you have to use which makes your workload double what it needs to be. Or not having the resources you need to successfully perform in your job. Or worst of all, that boss who is making decisions you know will negatively impact the business. Fun stuff!

What keeps us going and keeps us in the position of ‘putting up’ with those things that annoy us, is our level of persistence. Underpinning our persistence is a deal of resilience to carry on day by day, week by week, month by month, and dare I say it, year by year.

Persistence and resilience are definitely great qualities to have. They keep us moving towards our goals no matter the hurdles we need to overcome. Definite requirements in business, and especially when you own your own business.

However, at some point, the persistence and resilience will run out and decisions will need to be made. Those annoyances I mentioned above can all be resolved if there is a strong ‘why’ for doing so. If not nothing will change.

How much persistence and resilience do you have left to ‘put up’ with what is annoying you? Put a timeframe on how long you are willing to wait for things to improve. Then make a decision. Put your persistence and resilience to better use.