Having the fortitude to push through even the toughest of situations is what our Veterans are trained to do and make this strength a part of their very fabric. A great aspect of the military is that it is a no excuses environment, which is greatly heightened during times of combat. Lives depend on accomplishing the task at hand, no matter what. There will be many challenges that will be faced in our day to day lives and as we work toward reaching our personal visions. These challenges must be overcome and the core strength to do that is perseverance. We have in our minds what the perfect timeframe or outcome is but many times that is not what actually ends up happening. As long as we keep pushing forward and don't allow ourselves to be drawn down by the obstacles in our way we will accomplish our goals to reach our vision.
The very definition of perseverance is the steadfastness in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success.
As you can see in the definition of perseverance the focus is on the fact that there will be difficulty and/or delay in the process. With this in mind we can plan for this and not be surprised when it happens.
There are many situations in life that will push people to their limits and beyond. These situations are what build us into who we are and if used properly can set us up for great success.
As an example I started on my Bachelors Degree and was very excited to be taking this large goal on for the accomplishment and as a stepping stone to building my future. I was into my degree about two and half years when I was deployed. I was right in the middle of two classes where I had to drop out and loose the progress of completing those two courses. This was admittedly very frustrating and my fear was that I would lose the momentum that I had gained in the process of committing to accomplishing such a large goal. I completed my deployment and had to wait a few more months for the next semester to start as I had come back in the middle of a semester. This added to my level of frustration and concern of being able to complete my degree. I finally reentered the program and continued to work towards the completion. One thing that stands out to me that I did wrong in the process was I kept focus on the delay and that I was not on track to my original completion date. I continued to push forward and then encountered my second delay as I was reassigned to a new duty assignment. So now I had to not only restart into the program, I had to apply to a new College and transfer all my credits before I could continue on. I was so close to being done that I had to persevere and go through the unexpected delays and changes in how I thought the process would go. In the end I did complete and was so glad that I had perseverance to get through all the obstacles that popped up along the way.
"Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up." - Thomas Edison
There are many benefits to having perseverance as a core strength:
- Others notice and you are a role model
- Builds internal character that will serve you well in many situations
- You build a repertoire of tough situations that had a positive outcome to look back on for future challenges
- Your confidence continues to increase knowing you have faced similar or tougher challenges
My favorite statement when I face challenges and obstacles is, No Matter What! I will persevere no matter what obstacle is in front of me and no matter what others say or do.
Landmark Life Coaching's Mission is to honorably and respectfully serve courageous groundbreakers and transitioning veterans to persevere in defining and executing their future by providing an atmosphere of comradery and trust that honors their dedication and commitment. This will empower our clients to feel whole, honored, respected and fulfilled in defining and living their life purpose.
Veterans Coach/Speaker/Writer
Dwayne.paro@landmarklifecoaching.com