IGNITE THE FIRE WITHIN

Success is something which doesn’t come in one day, it's often built on no pain no gain rule.

Not sure you agree? Here is one of my favorite short stories that I would like to share.

A small boy separated from his family at the time of India - Pakistan partition. He didn't have a place to live and nothing to eat for a while. Ultimately he got indulged in criminal activities, but that did not lead him well. He got rejected from his beloved and faced several rejections and setbacks.

He roared out of the really worst possible circumstances and with the sheer sense of determination he joined the Indian Army. Within years, he was meritoriously chosen for athletic training camps. During the course of training he faced several setbacks, beaten by co-athletes, emotional and physical trauma and what not. But he kept on struggling and persevering. Eventually, his persistent efforts churned a little butter into milk. He emerged as India’s greatest athlete.

Milkha Singh's shameless refusal to quit was his key to success.

What is Persistence?

Persistence is defined by the competitive mindset of an institute as doing something despite difficulty, with a specific purpose. In other words, it’s a shameless refusal to quit.

“With ordinary talent and extraordinary perseverance all things are attainable”

There is some compelling research that has underpinned the parameters of performance. Talent & Perseverance together boats performance. Talent and persistence alone are omnipotent Since talent is something which is not under control. What's required is persistence that can build talent over time. The slogan ``Hang on there`` has solved millions of problems of the human race.

The toughest part of perseverance is sticking with the challenge. If one wants to persevere more in leadership or their professional journey, here are ways to do it:

1. Embrace the Challenge:

The toughest part of the challenge is to buckle down and to start cracking. The trick to sticking to plan is to keep oneself accountable, perhaps with a trusted colleague or mentor who can hold you to your tasks.

Another technique is to seek contentment or a way to love your work. If we find a purpose to love our work and seek ways to live the results, there is purpose in adding value and making improvements.

Lastly a positive attitude will never mister the determination to plow through the crisis.

2. Bounce Back from Setback:

During the process there would be many setbacks.At times we are stirred with painful emotions: anger, frustration, helplessness, sadness, vengeance due to the injustice that we feel. However, failing and then bouncing back, analyzing the mistakes, rewarding ourselves on winning can really help us to stick to the challenge. It takes a lot of will power at the beginning until one gets to see some positive results which ultimately motivates to keep going.

3. Implement With Urgency, But be Patient:

Everybody has heard the quote that,”patience is a virtue”. But, hardly anyone lives it out. A mature learner draws out learning outcomes from their stock of experiences. It's time to reject the rapid reward mentality. The essential part of perseverance is to have a growth mindset, act urgently, yet remain exceptionally patient.

“HARD WORK ALWAYS BEATS TALENT IN THE LONG RUN”

Perseverance and the shameless refusal to quit is the gem of the leadership quality which does not come easy. The best part is one can develop and become better at it. So, the next time someone thinks of quitting, they would first think about the story of the Legendary Athlete Milkha Singh. Do you want to be the kind of leader who gives up and accepts failure and sits back blaming life, or a fighter who bounces back from every setback and jumps through hoops to stay ahead of the game?

The choice is yours, and there will be people vouching for you to make the right decision.