Perseverance

One of the biggest issues people have when it comes to realizing their personal dreams and goals is perseverance. We may start out with great plans and lots of enthusiasm, but then life intervenes with things that disrupt our plans and bring on frustration. Sometimes we become discouraged and give up. Challenges are things we all come up against, famous and successful people included. Abraham Lincoln failed to get elected to offices at least nine times before becoming President of the United States. If he had given up after any of those failures, the U.S. might have had a very different history!

Perseverance and determination are about choosing behaviors that keep us moving forward even when we would normally give up. When I work with clients on this issue, I give them an agenda. First, they need to write down their goals. Next, they should plan out the necessary steps they will need to take in order to reach their destination. And finally, they should keep themselves on target by setting deadlines. Setting deadlines for goals helps to keep us focused on the prize. Meeting a deadline gives us a feeling of accomplishment. Eventually those met deadlines will add up to a goal that is achieved, accompanied by a feeling of success and personal satisfaction at your progress.

I also remind clients that perseverance is a powerful way to learn and become better at what they need to know to accomplish their goals. Edison failed a number of times before he got a light bulb to work, but for him each failure was a stepping stone that eventually led to his success. Changing your perspective to see perseverance as a positive tool for success reinforces your forward momentum and helps you to stay on track to reach your goals.

And, most importantly, you have to be your own cheerleader. Even if you have the support of those near you, it is best to understand that the rest of the world doesn’t care about the achievement of your goals. They are too busy trying to meet their own! So it’s up to you to care about your dreams, to applaud yourself every time you reach your mini-goals, and finally to pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and continue on when things get tough.

The best news about the steps I’ve outlined above is that they have been proven. Scientific studies at the University of Massachusetts in Boston have shown that such behaviours can actually increase the dopamine levels in your brain, which in turn helps you feel happy and satisfied. And all of these factors help to keep you motivated so that you can keep on working toward your goals.