Harness Your Power Of Persistence

Harness The Power Of Persistence

There's a Japanese Proverb that says: 

"Fall down seven times, get up eight." 

That wise saying underscores the importance of persistence in the world of performance improvement. 

In fact, many would argue that persistence is the single most important attribute in the success mindset.

Throughout history, we've been reminded of the value of sticking with something we're passionate about until we achieve what we want to achieve. 

For example, there's a Buddhist saying, 

"In the confrontation between the stream and the rock, the stream always wins - not through strength, but through persistence." In both the Old and New Testaments, there are numerous references to the value of persistence. James 1:4 (NLT) says, "...for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything."

Psychologist Edward De Bono has noted that, in his vast experience in working with successful people, he finds to two major qualities: 

(1) they expected to do well and, 

(2) they're persistent.

We know from our own experiences that frequently education and raw talent are often trumped by persistence. Those who succeed in any venue are often not the most intelligent or the most talented. They simply figure out a way to go over, under, around or through the obstacles thrown in front of them. 

Remember, the stream always finds its way around the rock.

Persistence is an intrinsic motivation. It comes from deep inside. The stronger the inner desire to succeed, the greater the chances of success. The fact is, we all face obstacles and challenges. 

Successful people accept that fact and simply figure out a way to deal with them.

Those who persist face the cold, hard facts. Life is tough, the economy sucks, work is hard, life's not fair. So what? Success in life has always been difficult, work is always challenging, cheaters do prosper, and you won't win the lottery. Shake it off and move on.

One of the keys to persistence is to make sure we know where we're going and what we intend to achieve. A well thought out vision and clear, measurable goals help us focus on those things that really matter. Without vision and a serious commitment to achieving the goals we set, we'll be like 95 percent of the population who reach the end of their working life wishing they had taken more risks and challenged the status quo.

Look, good enough seldom is. The organisations and individuals who really stand out in the world have always been, and will always be, those who strive for continuous improvement and never give up on their dreams. They don't see change as a threat. They see change as simply a rock in the stream that has to be faced - and then they set about doing just that.

So, what's your persistence quotient? It's a question worth pondering. Do you hang in there and face life's obstacles or do you all too quickly throw in the towel? I remember reading one time that most people who fail were just one more step away from succeeding - they just quit too soon.

The power to persist comes from within. It can't be passed on to us by well-meaning parents and it's not something we can go out and buy. The power to persist comes from an inner belief in ourselves and in our vision for what we want to accomplish.

Are you experiencing the power of persistence, or are you on the verge of quitting when you may be just one step away from making your dream a reality? Don't quit. Never give up! Be like that persistent but gently flowing stream that faces its obstacles and finds a way around them.

by Les Taylor: source

The Two Elements For Bending Reality

The Two Elements For 

Bending Reality

Now that you have a sense of where bending reality falls on the spectrum of life, let's take a closer look at the two key elements that must be in play in order to get there.

1. Be happy in the now.

A key ingredient of this state is that your happiness is not tied to attaining your vision. 

It comes from the pursuit of your vision, combined with a sense of gratitude for what you already have.

That way, you don't have to wait for happiness. 

It's just the natural by-product of pursuing your vision. You feel a deep sense of fulfillment. And you feel insanely motivated to keep moving forward. Your work becomes like a craving. You can work twelve hours straight, and you might feel tired, but you won't burn out. 

All the truly great people I know have this beautiful happiness associated with pursuing their goals.

Indeed, I think it's the only way to truly attain your goals-to be happy as you make the long, sometimes difficult climb toward great visions. 

On Necker Island, as we were masterminding with Branson and getting life lessons from him, someone from my group asked him, "You're always happy. What do you do when you're sad?"

Branson replied, "I can't remember the bad times. I only remember the good things that happened in my life."That was certainly one thing I noticed about hanging out with him: He's always about having fun. He has huge goals. He's one of the biggest thinkers I've ever met, yet he's perpetually in play. And it's not just Branson. Go back a hundred years and there's another influential titan of his time who penned this little poem:

I was early taught to work as well as play,
My life has been one long, happy holiday;
Full of work and full of play-
I dropped the worry on the way-
And God was good to me every day.

That titan was John D. Rockefeller, who wrote the poem at age eighty six.During his time he was one of the richest men in the world. Rockefeller speaks so simply and clearly here about dropping worry and about merging work and play into a life that is "one long, happy holiday." And where he says God was good to him, others might replace that with "luck" or "fortune" or "the universe." So, no matter where you are in your life today, you must remember this lesson: Your happiness cannot be tied to your goals. You must be happy even before you attain them. Doing so will make life joyous and full of play and bring your goals to you faster than ever.

2. Develop an exciting vision for your future.

I've observed that almost all of the extraordinary people I've met or read about have one thing in common: 

They have a vision for their future. It may be a new piece of art to create, a service or product to bring to the world, a mountain to climb, or a family to raise.These people live in the future in some way. Conventional spiritual growth advocates talk about the need to be "present." 

I believe that being present is only part of the story. Happiness in the now grounds you in the present. But you need bold dreams pulling you forward, too. Extraordinary people intend to leave a mark on the world.Now, a word of warning. You need to make sure that your goals aren't Brule-based, or you might end up chasing something that feels meaningless once you acquire it-as happened to me when I got my first big gig at Microsoft-or as happens to countless entrepreneurs when they build a business with the goal of earning a living, only to feel trapped in the usual nine-to-five when they achieve their goal.

I've lost count of the number of books I've read that give instructions on goal setting, from growing a business to simply getting organized. But just as we've been trained to think about happiness in a limiting way, so modern goal setting leads us astray. It happens in three ways:

1. WE CONFUSE BRULES WITH GOALS.

When we set a goal that we must have a certain kind of job, a certain kind of lifestyle, or a certain kind of appearance, often these are Brules installed by society. Extraordinary minds pay little attention to the infectious "wants" of the culturescape. Instead, they create their own goals.

2. WE CAN ONLY VISUALIZE WHAT WE KNOW.

While there's nothing wrong with visualizing and pursuing what we think will make us happy, we can really only visualize what we already know. What if there are even more wonderful visions and goals you could attain-gifts that only you can give the world-if only those unseen, unknown visions could be brought to the surface?

3. WE'RE NOTORIOUSLY BAD AT PREDICTING JUST WHAT WE CAN DO IN A GIVEN TIME FRAME.

We tend to a) bite off way more than we can chew in the short term, and b) not expect nearly enough of ourselves in the long term. Both tendencies work against successful visioneering. We tend to overestimate what we can do in one year and underestimate what we can do in three years.

by Rao Aamir Munawar: source