I’ve been trying to advance a couple of different projects and have been frustrated with the slow pace of both. I want to move forward and feel like I’m making progress, but that isn’t happening as I’d prefer. Still, I have persisted, even with no specific end in sight.
Persistence is a good thing. Actually, persistence is a great thing.
It can be a war cry for some. “Nevertheless, she persisted.”
Persistence turns a hope into a vision and a vision into reality. Persistence is how people get to the Super Bowl…and win it even though they are behind.
Persistence writes the book…earns the degree…loses the weight…advances a career…wins a race…hikes a five-mile trail out and back…discovers a cure. None of those things happen without persistence.
Sometimes, persistence needs to take a break.
That’s where grace comes in.
The goals I’m working to attain are still a bit out of reach, and my persistence (coupled with ignorance) has pushed one of them even further out.
I’ve been working for a while to increase my endurance in the mountains so I can hike to an alpine lake. My goal is a ten-mile hike. I was doing a variety of exercises to work toward that goal. Last August I was in an aqua Zumba class and performed a kick to the left that I felt deep in my glutes. Uh oh.
Still, I persisted. I rested for a couple of days and was back at it…trying to “work the weakness out.” I continued with classes and even began working with a trainer. Squats, lunges, and walking on a treadmill at a 10% incline didn’t help. All I did was make the injury worse. I finally saw the doctor in November who told me to stop all activity (except walking short distances) and see a physical therapist. I had to cancel one appointment because of the stomach bug, which postponed my ability to get therapy, heal the injury, and get back to work on my ten-mile goal.
I persisted a little tooooooo much. The injury will heal but it will take about four months. More delays.
Grace would have been a better choice.
If you’re reading this, you already know I’m writing, but I’m also planning to add videos, taped interviews, and a course or two in the (near??) future. To accomplish all the video stuff, I’ve been learning how to shoot and edit video. Not an easy task for this old gal!
If everything had worked smoothly and perfectly, you would be reading about a different topic, and you would have already seen my first video announcing the topic. None of that happened.
I had issues with the audio and trying to create an intro with my logo (I accomplished the logo though it is different than the version in my head). By the time I worked through most of that, it was getting late, and I needed a break.
Could I have persisted? Sure, but to what end? It wasn’t a make-or-break moment. I could afford to take the time to create the video that I wanted to create, and not just the one that “got it done.” I decided it was more important for me to take the night off and come back fresh in the morning. And, because the timing for the video didn’t work in my current schedule (posting a column on Thursdays), I am shooting for next week.
I don’t have to push myself to make a self-imposed deadline, which can add frustration. I want to enjoy the process, and I am not interested in strict time limits, or shaming myself over the timing, or setting myself up for failure in any way.
Grace.
Persistence is imperative to create or do big things. It is an admirable quality, but I believe there is a line where persistence needs to take a break and allow grace to step in. That line is different for everyone, and sometimes like I did, people can focus too much on persistence and not enough on grace.
Too much grace and not enough persistence leave you lacking resilience, while too much persistence and not enough grace leave you frustrated and resentful. As always, balance is key.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve been way too hard on myself in the past, usually by setting unrealistic expectations and deadlines for myself and then shaming me for missing them. I’m learning to be nicer to me. I highly recommend it! I’ve also been way too easy on myself which has resulted in unfinished projects and unmet goals. I am becoming better at taking responsibility for all my actions and choices.
Where is that line for you? Do you have a line? How does grace factor into persistence for you?
Tenacity is my battle cry. Strength, courage and persistence.