Being persistent can produce amazing results, but it also takes dedication and patience. From my perspective, this is one of the greatest traits a business person can possess.
Some professions require greater amounts of persistence to obtain the experience or education to reach the top level in their field
Most people generally feel satisfied when they reach their goal.
What they all have in common is their internal drive or persistence.
Is being persistent an inherent trait, or can it be learned, perhaps by modeling the behavior of others?
Of course, there are varying degrees of persistence, but the most common level is one that allows a person to remain hyper focused on reaching their goal.
So how does one go about staying focused?
Some folks who have trouble getting focused rely on medication for help.
Others have used meditation, yoga, cardio workouts, or even diets that include nutritious food and elimination of sugar and highly-processed foods.
Whichever method works to help become more focused and then, eventually, more persistent is up to the individual.
The key to being persistent is also to surround yourself with people who can and will support you in the quest to reach your goals. Negative Nellies need not apply.
Identifying positive, can-do, people may be a challenge for some. The easiest way to find optimists is to do some exploratory work. Here are a few to get you started:
- Would you describe yourself as a positive person? NOTE: This is to determine if they are capable of being supportive. If they are of the negative persuasion, chances are they will see all glasses as half full. Time to keep searching.
- What helps you to focus and be persistent?
- How did you pace yourself when you had a long journey ahead to reach your goal? Could you remain persistent for a sustained period of time? What were your tricks?
- Do you know anyone who has already achieved the goal(s) I am determined to reach?
- Would you be willing to help/guide/support me during a certain identified time period?
For some folks, like me, it’s helpful to create a vision of the goal – one to keep in mind throughout the quest.
I have been writing professionally for years for technology-oriented companies, as well as numerous other firms in a variety of industries. When I found out one of my articles was going to be published in Money Magazine, I recognized it as an acknowledgement by a publication I respected. One that reciprocated their respect for my business knowledge. I did not have a particular topic in mind when I started writing business articles, but instead envisioned reaching an audience that could relate to what I had to share.
Reaching this level of professional acknowledgement has taken me years. I had been persistently pursuing this goal for about a year. Prior to setting the goal to have my writing appear in a professional business publication, my dream was just that. But as the saying goes, a dream without a goal is just a wish.
Thanks to my persistence, I have earned the recognition that comes after working for years in what could be referred to as the professional trenches. The fact my article debuted on Halloween was a real treat!
Kathleen E. R. Murphy is the Founder, Chief Strategist and CMO of Market Me Too. Market Me Too has expertise in bridging marketing and sales teams and providing organizations techniques to accelerate their market growth and revenue numbers, regardless of the industry they are in, or the business stage they are presently at. We also work with individuals from students to executives and business and sports teams to coach them to learn how to leverage and apply their peak performance talents on a daily basis. Contact Kathleen at kathymurphy@me.com.
Announcement: My first business book called Wisdom Whisperer, is now available via Amazon. Pick one up, or get one for your friend or colleague. I’ve been told this is a great gift for upcoming college graduates, but it is also highly suitable for people in all stages of their life and careers, as the book format is like a buffet, and you can choose to read or not read the topics which suit you best. In support of gift giving, for a limited time, Wisdom Whisperer’s price has been reduced to $16.99.