Pathway to Persistence

 

What to comes to your mind when you think of the word persistence?

Do you think of the strong person climbing their way to the top of the summit?

Do you think of the celebrity leader who has defied all odds to accomplish what they desire?

Do you think of the ones that are willing to take the necessary precautions to achieve what they want?

In the context of my work as a visibility and breakthrough coach, persistence is usually defined by ones motivation to shatter procrastination and increase confidence so they can accomplish their goals.

Now, that’s the pretty and polished version of that explanation. If I could dig a little deeper, I would share with you: there is strength in being persistent enough to find the answers, even when there is resistance in revealing the truth.

We are constantly seeking the answers on “how” to achieve our dreams, get to that next level of greatness, or tune out resistance.

It is no secret; millions of companies are providing you the solutions to your biggest challenges. Chances are you have purchased one of these “how-to” solutions to fix whatever is currently broken in your life and business.

Unfortunately, many of these “solutions” do not work, and we are often left in the same boat…or worse than where we were before.

Why? Well, there is usually some form of resistance that throws us off the path to persistence.

If you think I’m going to provide a solution that will eliminate resistance altogether…think again. Bad news: persistence and resistance HAVE to coexist with one another. The good news is I’m sharing a game plan to help you stay on track, even through your biggest obstacles.

Before I share anymore, it is important to consider the people that we admire and look up to have worked through some version of what I call the “Interrogative Factor”.

In simple terms, the “Interrogative Factor” is something I created to help my clients ask and answer questions that begin with interrogative words: who, what, when, where, why and how?

Notice where “how” shows up. Of course, it is important to know how to do “fill in the blank”, but, defining the “how” is not the first step.

Below are a list of questions to ask when you are seeking answers to some of your biggest challenges:

  1. WHO: remember when your mom, dad or any another authoritative figure said to you, “If you keep hanging around the wrong crowd, you are going to be just like them” or “If everyone jumped off of a bridge, would you go to that too?”.

I’m sure you’ve also heard the saying, “You are the average of the five people you hang out with the most”. To stay on track with any goals, pay attention to:

WHO you are getting your information from?

WHO you are spending the most time with?

WHO you are associating with?

If the company you are keeping ain’t helping you (or themselves) “raise the bar”, be ruthless about the amount of time you are spending with them.

  1. WHAT: do you know a bodybuilder that constantly consumes junk food? A health coach I know said that before her coaching days she could never out exercise the food on her fork. Statistically, certain foods have been known to fog the brain and our ability to function.

In addition to being mindful of the foods you consume, it is just as important to be thoughtful about what you are feeding your mind. Take inventory of the messages getting into your mind. Trash TV, negative self-talk, and gossip only drain you. Instead, feed your mind with information in non-fiction books, thoughtful blogs, and informative podcasts.

  1. WHEN: have you ever said, “When _________ happens, then I will be __________.”

Shatter the belief of “When this amazing thing in my life happens I will finally be…”

It’s time to reverse engineer that statement. For example, state the “actions” you are going to take, in order to achieve the results you are looking for. The timing is never going to be perfect. Stop stalling – take action!

  1. WHERE: last summer, my husband and I went to Paris. On our first night there, we set off to have dinner and then find the Eiffel Tower. From our hotel, we mapped out a walking path that would get us to a cafe and to our end destination.

What we didn’t do was map out the plan to get back to our hotel. Every “right road” we took, ended up taking us off in another direction. Before we know it, it was midnight. We were lost in a new city seeking directions from those who spoke another language.

My point: instead of looking at the next step in front of you, take some time to “map out” the next steps in your game plan.

  1. WHY: I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, “Know your why”. As much as I agree with that statement, I think persistence trumps resistance when you drop the excuses of why you ain’t doing what you know you need to do. In my work as a coach, I am committed to help people cut the bullsh*t anchors that hold them back from creating the life and business they desire.

Therefore, it’s important to ask: “Why do I keep procrastinating?” or “Why do I avoid new experiences? Making new friends? Going to the gym? Second guess my ability?”… I could go on and on, but you get the picture.

Get super clear on why you are not on track to accomplish your goals and then brainstorm with a trusted advisor, mentor, or accountability partner to come up with a solution to work through them.

  1. HOW: in my experience, too many leaders want the automatic, instant, convenient answer to solve their biggest challenges. However, this piece of the “persistence” puzzle will never quite fit until we commit to mastering the answer to the five questions, I mentioned before.

How do we begin to answer those questions? Accountability. Getting the answers to the “how” means asking for help. A simple “ask” can be uncomfortable for a number of reasons. I do know this, however. If we knew how to do what we wanted to do, by ourselves, we would have done it already.

To recap the path to persistence, identify:

-Who you are associating with

-What you are feeding your mind and body with

-When you take action by doing ____, you will achieve ____

-Know where you are going

-Get present with “why you don’t do what you say you are going to do” anchors

-Know that the only way we get access to the “how” is through having an accountability partner to keep you on your path to greatness

It’s a very old journalistic cliché that stories should always contain the answers to these six questions: who, what, when, where, why, and how. By committing to seek the answers to these same questions, as it relates to your life and business, you will be delighted to uncover the stories that you write for yourself.

 

About Erica Castner:

Focused on the art of productivity and partnerships, Erica Castner is a business and breakthrough coach with a successful track record of helping thousands of businesses and entrepreneurs turn ideas and goals into results and accomplishments.

Castner offers workshops, as well as one-on-one coaching services, that are designed to help business professionals influence a group of ideal clients and ultimately enhance productivity, presence, and partnerships. For more, visit http://www.thequeenofresults.com