Persistence and Determination can Have More Meanings Than Meet the Eye!

One of the things I often talk about is the value of persistence, when it comes to reaching for a goal. Some of this comes from childhood lessons from my dad who'd tell me to not give up on things because nobody is promised that life is going to be easy.

Without a doubt, these have been valuable lessons that has served me well on many occasions.

Along the way, I have met many people who were also masters of determination and patience... and they, too, have been grateful.

But when we live with stick-to-it-iveness as one of our primary drives, we can sometimes become blinded to the reality in front of us. That is, we get so stuck in our paradigm that we lose touch with reality at times when we really should know better.

That is the time at which we have to pause and consider whether our "determination" is actually a reflection that we're afraid of change. Or perhaps it's not change we fear, but having to publicly admit that something didn't work out as planned.

I found myself a bit in that kind of predicament back in the 1990s, as I kept pouring my heart and soul into my import/export business that was quietly dying a very slow but inevitable death.

I had put more than a decade's worth of effort into it, and it had been fairly successful, but a number of "environmental mishaps" had significantly changed the market environment and the economy to where I had to eventually face the reality that perseverance alone wasn't going to be enough to carry the day.

Even so, I kept going for another couple of years... while I watched what I had built very slowly become little more than a shadow of what it had once been.

With some sadness, I eventually had to admit that "I couldn't make it work," anymore.

In some ways, my perseverance for 2-3 longer than effectively could be considered wise was as much about fearing change as anything.

I had a really hard time visualizing who I would be, absent the business. And after 13 years of being self-employed, I had no idea what I could do next... no idea whether my experience even amounted to anything... as far getting a job was concerned.

So there was part of me that kept going even when I knew I shouldn't, because I simply didn't feel ready to face and discover a different version of reality; a different version of my life. So... all my determination and persistence had become more of a trap than a positive attribute.

I still struggle with "letting go" of things that have run past their prime... there's always that lingering feeling that I have somehow "failed them," if I quit.

The avoidance? Maybe it can be tracked back to the many I felt failed ME, across the ages... adding to my determination that I was "not going to be that person."

But sometimes there IS a time to quit... and quitting might end up being the most courageous thing you ever do!

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great Friday!

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Created at 2024-02-09 00:32 PST
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