No one told us growing up that there will be hardships and obstacles that we will face at some point in our life. It happens to all of us. No one escapes. Most certainly in our personal lives. And true, many times, for those who are in leadership positions.
Every one of us “always knows” what to do when it’s another person’s problem. But rarely do we really know how we will respond when faced with our own issues. Issues that initially confuse, frustrate, and demoralize us.
We easily forget that our issues, “their” issues, or anyone’s issues never start and stop in a day. They aren’t solved quickly or easily. Dreams, too, never become our reality overnight. Some take a lifetime to achieve.
Since there is never “a quick fix”, endurance becomes a necessary partner when things become difficult. Endurance is also required when we want to achieve things that are not present today in our lives.
Two totally different possibilities. The first is when we feel we can’t get out. When we want to run away and hide. We create the second, by our innocence in thinking that achieving our goals and dreams will always be easy.
More times than not (in either situation) we choose not to endure. We stop, give up, and run away. We don’t have the patience to persevere, to search, and to continue to try.
Endurance does not guarantee success.
Endurance only guarantees the possibility of succeeding sometime in the future.
Why then, don’t we always choose to give ourselves this possibility of succeeding no matter how difficult the challenge?
The most fertile ground for expressing the creativity in our lives demands our endurance to balance the frustration, exhaustion, discouragement, and helplessness that we feel in our life against the real possibility of achieving a breakthrough, discovery, and movement that will be good, positive, and helpful.
Our best work happens every day when we keep trying.
Endurance gives us the best chance to offer our best work daily. Regardless of the outcomes.