Stick With Your Stick-To-It-Ness
Coaching Tip #25
Grit, perseverance, determination, fortitude, doggedness, tenacity.
These words need little definition. We don’t run to a dictionary to understand their meaning. They permeate our growth mindset: “I will keep working hard at this … I have just not figured it out yet.”
When you set a lofty goal – something that is beyond your immediate grasp – there will be instances that challenge your will. Your stick-to-it-ness will be called upon. And when you are seriously stuck or seriously challenged, it is not always simple. It can be difficult to conjure your energy to keep going. To reach your goal, you may have to step back and assess your next move.
This is a skill that high performers develop. They learn to regularly assess what they’re facing, and ask themselves what actually is the root problem of the challenge. Sometimes it is a singular issue, and other times it requires a more complex analysis.
This week’s coaching thought will look at 4 tips to help you during these times.
Check in on your motivation. Why is this new goal important to you? Are you looking through the wide lens of your camera, or are you zoomed in on one issue? Both views provide information, but ask yourself what view serves you best, right now. What will provide you with that extra motivation to overcome your current hurdle?
Accept where you are at. So much physical and psychological energy is wasted trying to change something that has already happened! Unless you have a time machine, you can’t go backwards. Be present, be now, with your energy.
Separate who you are from what you do. Write down 2 things that you did well during this time and 1 thing that you need to improve upon. Shifting the mindset away from judging yourself, and toward acknowledging your actions, separates out the human being from the human doing. By journaling what went well, it forces an admission that not all is bad, and that you have much to build upon!
Determine what you have discovered and use this as a catalyst for your actions. Goals are achieved through daily action made up of many micro-steps. By taking that next step you will regain a small level of control. You’ll begin to feel more positive.
We all have times when our stick-to-it-ness is challenged. My goal is to help you get back on track.
If you have examples of successes you’ve achieved because of your stick-to-it-ness that you’d like to share (and I know you do!) I’d be delighted to hear of them.