Practicing Persistence in the Pandemic

Over the last few months, with stay-at-home orders, physical distancing, and almost everything “going virtual,” people keep talking about the art of “the pivot.” The idea is we must change course if we want to survive (or thrive) during the pandemic, but a full 180 is not always best (or possible). 

Persistence in action at the Red Bull 400 event in Whistler (2019)

I’m going to play devil’s advocate here and say NO to the pivot and YES to persistence. But first, a quick disclaimer; we should acknowledge there are exceptions where changing course is essential—especially if it means life or death for a business—but for many companies, entrepreneurs and ‘solopreneurs’ persistence fits.

For instance, the yoga instructor who breaks his or her back during months of isolation to set up an online yoga business, only to have studios reopen, could do without the unnecessary burden. Was it worth the stress of setting up an online business in those weeks, or was there something else you could do with your time?

Practice Persistence

Persistence is a trait for all high performing individuals, teams, and businesses, and it’s been that way for a long time. It’s proven time and time again, working towards your goals with unrelenting energy and effort WILL help you get there sooner—even with the odds stacked against you. Look at any underdog sports team that wins a championship. Think they got there because they gave up quickly?

Persistent people don’t give up easily.

Like you, I am not immune to challenges and hard times; we’ve all had our fair share. I’m not immune to laziness either. I get the urge to kick back and relax, but one thing’s for sure, if I weren’t persistent after my spinal cord injury, I might have never walked again—let alone skied!

The thing is, if you don’t keep working towards your vision with discipline and determination (aka persistence), it’s far less likely you’ll achieve your goals. It would have been much easier NOT to write this blog post, but here I am, producing content that hopefully helps others in the near-term so that I can get back to helping others from the stage at live speaking events down the road.

When people say “pivot,” I think “perspective.” It depends on how you look at your situation. Is the pivot and altering course really going to get you where you want to go? Can you take a step back and look at the bigger picture? Are there ways you can make the most of this time? Could the yoga instructor choose to refine areas of his or her practice so that when people begin to crave in-person classes again (and you can bet yogis will), they’re ready to take full advantage of the surging demand?

A perspective shift might just be what we need to stay on course and keep moving forward. Look for opportunities for growth rather than the pivot.

Stay Persistent

The end goal for most of us, after all, is health and happiness. Keep your eyes on the prize. It’s not IF you’ll get there, but HOW you’ll get there. The ‘how’ might change slightly, but the constant should always be: persistence. Work towards your goals with relentless enthusiasm, effort, and energy. I hope reading this has helped.

IN LIFE There will be doldrums,
but don’t lose heart.