Perseverance: Push back against the chaos
Perseverance. It can be a super power. I’d like to think that sometimes its my super power. I can’t claim to use it or access it all of the time; but there are definitely moments when I am able to channel my inner strength to persevere through the storms of life. And when I do, I’m singing like Alicia Keys, cause “even though I’m a mess, I still put on a vest with an S on my chest.” How about you?
I’ve found that the strength to persevere comes from living through, pressing through the hard times. Two weeks ago, I started a conversation with you about perseverance and how choosing to have a positive perspective can help you overcome the hard times. In particular, I shared with you the challenging week that my husband I experienced — car engine blew up, burned arm on oven, and rental home was nearly destroyed (all within three days). I also presented to you that because we chose to have a positive perspective, we were able to see the goodness in the midst of all the bad. Because emotions drive our behavior, we knew that having a positive perspective would give us the strength we needed to persevere.
I want to continue our conversation about perseverance and 3 important tools I’ve found that we need to succeed in our personal and professional lives. Today, I am going to introduce the second tool — the Power of Push Back.
When you choose to have a positive outlook in the midst of trying situations and believe that there is purpose in your pain, you are choosing to push back, to fight against the obstacles, to keep moving forward. When you choose to push back, you are remembering your why — your why for living, your why for doing. And you find yourself fighting like you never fought before.
What is your why? Do you know what your why is? New York Times Best-Selling author, motivational speaker and thought leader, Simon Sinek wrote the book, Start With Why. In his text, he says that “Everyone has a why. Your why is the purpose, cause, or belief that inspires you.” He goes on to say that, “Knowing your why gives you a filter to make choices at work and at home, that will help you find greater fulfillment in all that you do.” So in theory, even if you don’t know your why, you definitely have a why that is filtering your decision-making. Lets stop here and take a moment to take inventory of our lives and better understand our why. Ask yourself, “How am I making choices at work and at home? What guides those decisions? What influences how I lead, serve, and engage in life?”
For me, I try to be very conscious of what I allow to lead and guide my time, my work, and my decision-making. Being very clear about these elements of my life allows me to understand my why. At present, my why or my filter for making decisions is composed of two elements — Faith and Family. There have been times, even in recent history, where my why was clouded and unclear. I made daily decisions based on unhealthy relationships, unnatural drive for success, a desire to prove my value to others, and so on. Although I had moments of clarity over the years, I never maintained by focus as consistently as I have since December of 2013. Honestly, I was broken, unwilling to persevere, and had no desire to push back. In my broken, lonely, and defeated spirit, I fell on my face and asked God to help me understand the purpose for my pain and to find my why.
At first, the journey to understanding my why was filled with several roadblocks. Due in great part to getting caught up in the “how,” I found myself easily losing focus on my “why” and what God was trying to show me. I also spent a lot of time focusing on my failures, the people who hurt me, and the relationships that ended — the men who left me. When I put my energy on those negative aspects of my life, I lost my power, allowed those things to define me, and lived a defeated life.
A mentor of mine, recently shared with me that, “Don’t get so caught up in the mundane parts of the how, that it keeps you from remembering the why.”
In other words, don’t let the tasks of your days, the challenges of your life, keep you from recalling why you are living and what you are supposed to be doing.
Choose to have a positive perspective. Choose to push back against negative thoughts.
Believe in yourself and who you are called to be in this world. Remember, positive thinking can keep you in the game and pushing back can help you conquer your thoughts so that you can persevere. You are called to be great. You are called to achieve great things.
Lets get started now. Read Romans 12:12, James 1:12, and Colossians 1:11-12. Next time, we will conclude our conversation and talk about the plan.
Gina Watts is a former resident of Fayette County, now living in Columbus, Ohio. She serves multiple communities as an advocate, educator, and leader. Follow Gina on Twitter @professorgmarie.