My Lesson on Persistence…………my story

Okay, so here it goes. My 2-1/2 year old daughter loves to walk down the stairs. But, for some reason, a couple weeks ago she decided she was going to be carried downstairs by her “daddy.”

I made my way downstairs (stepping over her at the top) explaining that she could walk down the stairs like “big girls do.” Needless to say (since she was convinced already that daddy was carrying her down the stairs), she began to chant the following word in a whimpering voice: “Daaaaaddy.”

I sat down on my chair in the living room and just listened. “Daaaaaddy………………..Daaaaaddy……………….Daaaaaaaddy…………” Her voice actually stayed fairly constant and had a very nice rhythm to it. I was convinced that I was going to let her sit up on the stairs until she stopped her chant. But, 5 minutes passed………and then 10 minutes……and then 12 minutes (all the while the same loud whimpering chant going on in the background). Finally, I just couldn’t take it. My heart gave in to that sweet little voice, and I headed up the stairs to pick her up and carry her down.

Lesson
Persistence Pays! Now, granted, this is a story of persistence that is probably down right annoying, and may not get you very far with other professionals/coworkers/family members. But, it illustrates an important concept.

Persistence is a great trait to possess. If there is something out there that you really want and are dreaming to attain, then you must be persistent in your pursuit to attain it. Failure happens! Things go wrong! But, you must persevere and keep working at it.

That said, how you persist and persevere is also key! My daughter’s whimpering, yet steady voice did it for me, but I’m guessing it won’t do it for everyone. The idea of persistence is situational. Delivery, Audience, Means of Attainment, Etc – All of this needs to be taken into account!! Sometimes a “quiet” and/or “private” persistence is what gets things done, while other times, it takes a “loud” and/or “public” approach.

What things have you come across that have really taken some persistence on your end? Do you get annoyed with those “whiny and loud” types? Do you prefer to persevere quietly and unnoticed? Lots of good stuff to discuss here. Give me your opinions!

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