This morning I had the great opportunity to have breakfast with a dear friend of mine who lives in Cairo Egypt, and in the conversation the subject of perseverance came up. I don’t know if it is due to the intense energies of sitting here in the shadow of the great pyramids or something else, but I am inspired to write down my thoughts.
As you may or may not know, my husband is not only a high-performance mindset coach, but also a former professional athlete. Pushing through adversity and obstacles in the heat of competition runs through his veins and is in his DNA.
He would counsel that perseverance is a noble pursuit.
I, however, may have a different perspective. Especially since I have just been immersed in the gentle energy and strength of my Egyptian friend. Many would say perseverance is an attribute that is necessary to survive in this chaotic world. If you want to achieve something, you must work hard and stay focused on your goals.
And yet, I don’t prescribe to the “no pain no gain” mentally.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not afraid of hard work and have spent many years, decades in fact, working my ass off in our various endeavors. Give me a deadline, and I make every effort to meet that deadline at all costs. Give me a goal, and most likely I will achieve it, again at all costs. I can be focused, dedicated, driven and more often than not, I fulfill my commitments.
But there are many paths that can lead us to the top of the mountain.
Just like with the various faith doctrines and religions, there are many paths that lead to that mountain top, and I believe one is not necessarily better than another. Perhaps it’s just a different path we can choose to get us where we ultimately want to go.
MAFID is one of our “be a beast” principles and it represents an acronym of “making allowances for individual differences.” M-A-F-I-D.
My husband and I are different. And many times, we go about doing things differently. Where he might adopt the charge ahead and persevere approach, now in my older and wiser years, I would much rather take the easy and effortless approach.
Each of us is different and we equally have unique ways of being. What works for one does not necessarily work well for another. That doesn’t mean my way is right and his way is wrong, they are just different.
So, in this instance, I rest in the knowing that it’s okay to master the art of perseverance if that works for you. And at the same time, it’s equally okay to master the art of ease and effortless creation. Going back to MAFID, I embrace the notion that what works for me does not necessarily work for everyone else.
This is where I come around to perseverance vs. preservation. For me, I prefer self-preservation and keeping my own sanity. I already said I don’t prescribe to the “no pain no gain” mentality, I also know that getting up at 4am to “get things done” does not work for me either. I would rather sleep in and know that this approach works better for me. I’m still productive. I’m just doing it a slightly different way.
My advice and parting thought…do what works best for you!
About the Author:
International bestselling author of Songwriting for Dummies, Cathy Lynn loves to create and inspire through writing; whether it’s in her own books, co-writing projects for others, or through her passion for screenwriting. In her role as professional ghostwriter, she has co-authored several books with husband and mental performance coach, Dave Austin including The Unfinished Cross: Listen to the Voice Within and Be A Beast: Unleash Your Animal Instincts For Performance Driven Results, which presents proven methods that he uses daily to keep his professional athlete clients “in the zone” and at the top of their game. Cathy Lynn’s clients range from Internet gurus, inventors, music-industry giants, and professional athletes, to relationship coaches and masters in the personal development arena. Her primary motivation is to help them get their stories told, which stems from her own dad’s passing before he got the book he wanted to write out of his head and onto paper. Dedicated to each other for more than 40 years, Cathy and Dave now reside near the mountains of Northern Utah, after decades of being in Southern California raising four amazing boys.