~ Louis Pasteur
Do you want to raise the odds that you will succeed in turning your dreams into reality? Give the heave-ho to the notion that it's all going to happen with the flip of a switch (because in all likelihood, it won't). Replace it with a commitment to tenacity.
One of the biggest obstacles standing in our way as we look at creating a career and a life that energizes and inspires us is our cultural obsession with immediate gratification. We want results and we want them now, and if we can't get them now we deem those results to be impossible.
Instead of asking, "How can I make this happen RIGHT NOW," ask, "How can I support my long-term commitment to making this happen?"
Tenacity doesn't happen in a vacuum. Yes, some of it has to do with sheer grit and guts, but there are many other factors that feed that tenacity. For example:
Your goal: Is what you're trying to achieve something you really care about? Is the drive to make it happen coming from deep inside you, or are you driven by surface-level motivators (like what other people think)?
The more personally compelling your goal is, the more determination you naturally have to see it through to fruition.
Support: The more external support you can incorporate into the picture, the less you have to fight your way through alone. And the less energy you have to put into fighting your way through alone, the more energy you have to put into taking ongoing action.
Self-care: The better you take care of your body, the more energy you have to keep moving forward. Diet and exercise can play a huge role in having the juice to keep going. Care of your mind and spirit is important as well. For example, incorporating a practice like meditation can help ground you and keep your energy from fraying and flying off in all directions.
What about you? What are you doing to nourish your tenacity? What could you do?
Try this: Sit down and brainstorm as many things as you can think of that would feed that tenacity (you might start by reading my recent post on the US News & World Report blog, 7 Steps to Sustain a Career Change).
Pick one thing from the resulting list and start taking steps towards incorporating it more fully into your life. If you make a habit of doing that on a regular basis, over time your tenacity will be more and more deeply nourished.
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The Occupational Adventure Guide:
A Travel Guide to the Career of Your Dreams
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by Curt Rosengren, Passion Catalyst
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