“You must do the things today that others will not do so that you can have the things tomorrow that others will not have.” Anonymous
If you have reached any level of success in your life, chances are good that you paid a price to get there. Whether you worked your way up the corporate ladder, built your own business, or achieved any other significant goals, you may not have had as many opportunities to “play” as your friends did. Looking back, are you glad you paid the price to get you where you are today? Chances are that because you did the hard things early in life, you can take things a little easier now. (Now I am not talking about a life totally focused on work and success at the expense of damaging relationships with friends and family, I’m simply talking about the ability to persist where others won’t.)
In 1987, I worked for an executive search firm in the data entry department. It was my first “real” job and at that point I knew that I only needed three things to make my career complete: a cool title, a business card, and my own office with a door. Yep, I had it all.
As I grew in my career however, the title, card, and office were no longer enough. I decided leave it all behind to enter the ‘glamorous’ world of sales. My very first sales job was at a placement agency, “selling secretaries.” It turned out to be a disaster, but I liked sales, I learned a lot, and I persisted.
For several years, I failed miserably in sales. It wasn’t until my fourth sales job that I experienced success. Finally, I enjoyed what I did AND had all the perks of the successful rep. Life was grand once again. Persistence paid off.
The funny thing about reaching financial success is that many people only see you where you are today and they don’t realize what it took to get there. No one pays any attention when the creditors are calling you day and night, the bills are piling up, and your suffering one loss after another as you’re trying to make ends meet. However, when everything falls together and you begin to succeed in a big way, you are perceived as being very “lucky.”
Was Jack Canfield lucky with his Chicken Soup for the Soul books? No, I don’t think so. Jack contacted 144 publishers with his idea for Chicken Soup for the Soul before someone gave him a chance. He heard comments like, “The title is stupid.” “Nobody is going to buy a bunch of stories,” Etc. Where do you think Jack would be if he had stopped after contacting 100 publishers? Jack had to work very hard to get that lucky.
Be grateful today for your persistence. If you’re not exactly where you want to be in your life, but you’re taking baby steps towards your goal – you’ll get there. Enjoy the journey and ultimately you’ll reach your destination.
Have fun,
Lisa Ryan
Others may not understand your journey, it’s ok. Persist anyway.