I have often wondered as to how it is that marathoners keep going on for hours just
running!!! What keeps them pepped up for the entire journey! While for others
even contemplating running for few hundred meters appears to be a daunting
task.
After repeated discussions with avid runners on
what makes them persevere, the answer appears to be not so much in physical
endurance than in mental PERSEVERANCE. In other words, commonly known as grit
and self-determination!
From childhood we have heard inspirational
stories on people who have overcome all hardships and achieved their dreams in
life. The movie King’s Speech reflected the story of Prince Albert who had a
stuttering problem whenever he faced an audience and who went on to overcome
his problems with the help of a speech therapist and sheer determination! He
suffered setbacks and even gave up after getting frustrated due to repeated
failures but still he came around and went on to publicly address Britain and
the World as King Henry IV without any speech impediments!
My understanding of perseverance is that it is
the ability to steadfastly hold on to one’s dreams and not letting go of them
regardless of what comes in one’s way. Here I am not referring to obstinacy
which is just pointless and continuous banging of one’s head on the wall and
eventually collapsing. Rather, perseverance involves common sense and
creativity i.e. the ability to look at other possibilities to help one keep
going in the face of roadblocks.
So what can we do to develop this amazing
ingredient for success?! Nobody can deny the importance of a positive attitude
to help one sail through their low phases. And this attitude develops only
through positive self-dialogue and affirmations that one has to constantly make
and develop as a habit. There are enough inspirational quotes and stories to
fall back on which would help us develop a strong character in the face of
adversity.
We can study people around us for inspiration.
We have real life examples of people like Mahendra Singh Dhoni to motivate us.
He rose from being a humble ticket collector to the most sought after cricketer
who brought so much fame to our country. So whenever we falter we just need to
pause and look around for such role models, pick ourselves up and just get
going!
Let me share some simple techniques, which when
practiced can help a long way in developing this key trait:
- Post visual reminders of positive dialogues in your home or office desks
- Break down your goals and reward yourself after achieving each small goal
- Keep patting yourself on your back and push yourself to achieve the next target
Contribution: Mohammed Hussain Naseem – CEO | mohammed@2mpower.in
2mpower Health Management Services Private Ltd.
