Staying the Course Despite Rejection

Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.”

                                                                                                                            ― Winston S. Churchill

I have a very hard time accepting the fact that something cannot be done.  It is perhaps the reason I am so persistent in the position I hold at Optimist International.  My position is designed to, with the help of others, to create initiatives and programs for our members to use that will help the organization turn the corner and reverse the two-decade trend of declining membership.  Other service organizations are in a similar situation.

It’s not easy.  It’s frustrating and disappointing at times.  I see potential if there would just be some persistence in the area of focus yet people who hold the potential in their hands get stopped dead in their tracks because of negativity or someone rejecting their message.  A couple of quick examples seem to be order.

 I recently made a presentation to establish a new Optimist group in the Pacific northwest.  The presentation seemed to have generated some interest among some of those in attendance but everything stopped when a respected member of the group says he saw no benefit to his group working to establish an Optimist group.   This appeared to be the consensus at the moment but I later learned there were people who could not make the meeting who were very interested.   Enter plan B.  After learning the group did not want to do something collectively, my inner voice told me to pursue the few who did individually while trying to combine their interests with an outside group in the community.  This is still a work in progress but it demonstrates how a “No” produced another course of action.

Similarly, I had been having a heck of a time trying to connect with a prospect in person because schedules would not line up and life got in the way for this individual.  The door apparently had closed.  But then the voice spoke up.  “Why don’t you try to meet via SKYPE or some other electronic means?  I had been so focused on meeting this individual in person that I had completely overlooked the other option.  Enter plan B.

 Usually, there is always going to be a Plan B. I’m arguing that Plan B keeps the door open for our goal or objective but we have to be persistent in both listening for such a revelation and being willing to act on it when it happens.  This then, brings into play perseverance because our willingness to be persistent creates the desire to stick with something until there is a positive result. This formula has worked time and time again when it comes to membership recruitment or development of a new Optimist presence in a community.  By getting into this practice, you will find more and more of your projects will reach a satisfactory level of completion, your objectives and goals will be attained and you will find yourself doing a happy dance more frequently.

This is not a formula solely for community service groups.  Any leader worth his or her weight in pretzels should know alternatives are necessary for any initiative because nothing ever goes completely as planned.  The characteristics of persistence and perseverance work in community service work, the legal profession, finance, construction and so forth.

  So let’s go to work shall we?   

The Inner Voice Will Guide You

“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan Press On! has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.”

                                                                                                                                Calvin Coolidge

NO.    There are not a lot of us who do not like hearing that simple two letter word.  It means we can’t do something we wanted to do. And, sometimes the word is used because what we are thinking of could actually bring harm to ourselves and others.  But, in the context of achieving a goal or objective in the professional or personal realm, I argue it is an opportunity to invoke the art of being persistent and to chart a different course in order to attain the goal or objective.

 One of actor Denzel Washington’s many starring roles came from the dark drama “The Book of Eli.”  There is a scene showing him sitting around an open fire with co-star, Mila Kunis, and the conversation is about how he survived after “The War.”  Mr. Washington tells the story of how one day he heard a voice from inside that set him on his journey regarding the Book and how the voice told him he would be protected during the journey.  The key is that he listened to the voice.

Our internal voice, which some call a person’s  conscience, is a guiding beacon each one of us has access to but we have to listen when it speaks to us.  The”Voice” (not to be confused with the television series)  is almost always right and can point us in the correct direction to go.  Christians call it the Holy Spirit.  Your voice can help overcome NO by suggesting a new direction that likely will help attain the goal or objective established at the beginning of your project.  Often times it’s referred to as Plan B or Plan C. 

I argue there is nearly always a second or third path to achieve the objective if Plan A isn’t working but we have to listen for that direction and then act on it when we hear from our inner voice.  Sometimes doors of opportunity will close but it usually means another door of opportunity is about to open.  When it does, we have to use persistence to go through it so we can accomplish the goal at hand.

A case in point the next time we connect.   Be well.

The P&P Combo to Accomplish Your Goals

       We give up too easily. Time and time again stories can be heard from people who had all the best intentions in the world of getting a project done or achieving a career or personal goal only to later be stopped short of achievement because of a myriad of factors.  Granted, there will always be times when surrender is the only option left, but it consistently, at least in my opinion, is an option exercised too quickly.   My argument is supported by an excellent, recent, article in Inc. Magazine, titled, “Seven Reasons Why People Give Up  on Their Goals Too Early.”

 A lot of us have done this before.  We set out to get into shape.  We purchase a membership to a health club and we embark on an effort to improve out physical condition or lose weight.   The initial stage amounts to a bunch of sore muscle that don’t seem to go away with a few more trips to the gym.  So,  we give up. ”I just can’t do this anymore”…..or I’m getting nowhere fast”….”I don’t have time to spend a half an hour or an hour working out” can be heard under our breath.  Excuses come easily; achievement does not.  So, no sooner did we begin our self-improvement project then we abandon it, frustrated and dejected and wondering why we ever had this hair-brained idea to begin with.

There is a word that starts with a “P” that can provide a partial answer to this situation.

Perseverance: “Steadfast in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success,” according to Webster.    To persevere, then, flies in the face of what is commonplace in our society today, which is an expectation of almost instantaneous and positive results. 

There is a second “P” word worth mentioning that is equally useable when we hit a roadblock.

Persistence:  “continuing firmly or obstinately in a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition” 

 Most people like the concept of getting it done quickly when it comes to attaining our goals and reaching our objectives.  They look for the easy path.  Rarely is that going to happen which is why persistence and perseverance are critical components of getting a project completed successfully. We have to maintain a mentality that at times says, “No,  is not “my final answer.”   It instead becomes an opportunity for new ideas, new directions and new opportunities for success.  These two words starting with “P” can be, should be and will be critical in achieving goals set in our professional and personal lives as well as those sought after achievements in our community service lives. 

More on this new direction in the next post. I have to go to the gym now.