Too often, people are not sufficiently persistent in their pursuit of a goal. This can manifest itself in a couple of different ways. They pursue something over a limited period of time and then give up when they fail to achieve their objective in a relatively short time frame. Perhaps they were on the right track, or perhaps not, but they just didn’t give it enough time. In other cases, they actually chase their goal for an extended period of time with one singular approach. It is not working but they continue to bang their head against the proverbial wall when they should really try some different tactics.
To achieve a goal, it’s important not only to commit to a long stretch of time (the amount of which depends upon the specific pursuit) but also to be open to a variety of approaches. If something is not working, be flexible and try something else.
Those of you who have kids know how persistent then can be at times. My eight year old (actually now nine as I am writing this on his birthday) started to pursue his goal of owning a puppy somewhere around the age of four. We finally relented when he was nearly 8 ½ which means he spent approximately half of his life pursuing his goal. Now that’s determination. Four years might not be sufficient time for you to achieve your goal but scaled up to half a lifetime puts that time frame in a much different perspective.
The old saying, “If at first you don’t succeed, Try, try. try again” (W. E. Hickson) doesn’t necessarily mean that you keep trying the same thing. One has to learn and adapt trying multiple approaches both in parallel and over a span of time.
Back to that puppy example. Below are among the approaches that my wife and I witnessed (perhaps endured is a better word) over the four year path of puppy persistence.
- Consistent asking. Begging or pleading might better describe it. But when this wasn’t immediately successful other tactics were added (note that this one was never abandoned, however).
- When they were learning persuasive writing in school (amazing how early they teach this) we received a letter explaining the benefits of puppy ownership.
- Nemo, an invisible dog, became part of the family. Nemo joined us on many family outings and was well cared for demonstrating future responsible pet ownership. There were times I had to wait while Nemo was fed before we could head out the door.
- Every dog we met was greeted with an affectionate pet and big smile and usually a declaration of “that’s the kind of dog that I want”.
- There was research and fact finding on the internet and through numerous library books about the different kind of dog breeds and how to care for them.
- We were presented with more than a few lists, drawings and posters and even a short story “Rufus: Where Every Dog Finds a Perfect Home”.
- And finally there were 6 AM Saturday morning meetings to discuss the matter, complete with an agenda. I’m an early riser even on the weekends but being told at 5:55AM that I have five minutes to get my coffee and be back for the meeting is a bit much, even for me.
I’m sure I’ve missed a few things but you get the idea. The net was cast pretty wide and no stone was left unturned (sorry for the mixed metaphors).
Be persistent . . . you might just get that puppy!
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