You’re finished. Toast. Stick a knife in you because you
are done! How many times have we heard that? More importantly, how many times
have you said that to yourself?!?! Hopefully, you have
never said that to anyone yourself. Recently I have been thinking out loud
about this a lot and the power of NOT QUITING. For the past few weeks I have
had the incredible experience of leading a Mastermind of John Maxwell’s 21
Irrefutable Laws of Leadership with a group of Beachbody fitness coaches
and I have not met a more determined and empowered group of women! They have
taught me an important lesson about resilience. You see, I have come to believe
that nothing
is decided until you decide it is!
I have had some powerful first hand experiences this week that proves my
very point. A close colleague who has been battling lung cancer just received
the great news that the treatments have been successful. Even though she was a
long-time smoker and small in stature, she faced her treatments with a grit and
determination that was truly inspiring to myself and many others. She
exemplified this great quote from Winston Churchill that states, “Fear is a
REACTION, Courage is a CHOICE.” In short, she made up her mind that nothing was
decided until she decided it was!
That
is the power of not quitting . . . of not giving up. Not accepting the first
answer as the final one. The problem is that too often people give up in the first
disappointment or the first failure. Unfortunately, the media and advertising
industry have created the false narrative that success is instant and easy. If you at first you don’t succeed . . . then
there is obviously something wrong with you! Nothing can be further from
the truth. There is nothing instant about success and accomplishing anything
worthwhile takes work and time.
So how
can we develop a little bit of POSITIVE STUBBORNESS? This is not a complete
list but here are a few of my ideas.
Don’t take the fist (or for that matter
the second, third, and fourth) “No” for an answer!
Sometimes the timing may not be right or the conditions optimal. But if you ask
again, then the answer may be “Yes” or at least a positive maybe! I recently
read a Facebook quote from a colleague where she emailed the CEO of a company
she was wanting to do business with every week for many weeks. Recently, he
emailed back stating that since she was not going to stop emailing him, then he
might as well take a meeting and see what she had to say!
Work the problem! If
something is blocking you or preventing success, look for alternatives. Too
often, though, people who are hard workers
are not always hard thinkers. You
have to work the problem. In fact, the creators of the movie Toy
Story shared that the final film that revolutionized animation and
entertained millions was “a thousand problems solved!” There is always an
answer to a problem. You just have to discover what it is! Try going over,
around, or under whatever wall is facing you!
Stick with it! The
statistics of individuals not completing graduate degrees is staggering. I
believe the primary reason is not that people can’t grasp the intellectual
concepts, it is they run out of steam because there as some parts that you just
cannot make go any faster. I have often believed that the most successful
people are ones that have staying power with their goals as long as their goals
are worth it! These individuals decide when the goal is not viable, not
circumstances, resources, etc.
Listen to Your BETTER Voices! I
recently heard leadership guru John Maxwell share that “when average people try
to talk you out of something, you know you are on the right track!” Listen to
the better voices of those that encourage you to stick to your progress. Make
sure that little committee in your head is also encouraging you. Again, NOTHING
is decided until you decide it is!
The point I want to you reflect, no obsess
over, is this: What and Where you are NOW is NOT what or where you will always
BE. You are NOT done yet. This is NOT your final destination. In fact, you are
just getting started! Again, nothing is decided until you decide it is!
As always if I can help you and the
people you associate with Get Better, Be Ready and LEAD OUT LOUD, I would
invite you to email me or to visit my website below and see if any of the
training or coaching experiences I offer can provide an impact! In fact, I am
launching a new SPEAK FOR IMPACT
training program that will help both novice and experienced leaders find their platform and increase
their communication skills! Also, as a bonus, if you go to my Out Loud
Strategies website (www.outloudinc.com) and enter your contact information, I will
send you a FREE guide to establishing a mentoring initiative program in your
organization! Such an initiative would be critical to add value to your
organization!
Yours in Leadership,
Bill Faulkner
Principal Consultant –
Out Loud Strategies
Independent Coach,
Speaker, and Trainer with the John Maxwell Team TM
Email = bill@outloudinc.com
For more information on
the John Maxwell Team, please visit
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