Internal Attributes for Success Part 2
Perseverance
According to the
dictionary, perseverance is the steady persistence in adhering
to a course of action. Going back to the golf example; let¡¯s
say you are so passionate about golf that you get up at 6:00
every Sunday to play and give it your 100%. However, after 3
weeks, you don¡¯t see yourself getting better so you give up
the game. This is a lack of perseverance. Having perseverance
means you stay the course even when things get tough. Of
course, perseverance does not mean stupidity. There are times
you need to cut your losses and change course. However, most
people give up too easily. They run into a road block and give
up on their passions. Remember this, every time you run into a
difficult situation but you work through it, that¡¯s
perseverance. If things are always easy, most likely you are
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Flexibility
The definition of flexibility that I
am using here is adaptability or open to change. Flexibility and
perseverance work hand in hand to make sure that you don¡¯t fall into
the rigidity and stubbornness trap. As I mentioned before, you need
to be persistent but not to the point that you give up everything
for something with very little chance of success. Good entrepreneurs
learn to cut their losses and move on when things are not working
out. Those who keep on going until all of their capital is lost will
probably not have enough money to do another venture. Therefore, you
need to be flexible and open to change. Flexibility also means
taking on unexpected challenges with a positive attitude and making
the best of the situation. Going back to the golf example; assume
that you live in a place where the weather is warm all year round
and you play golf almost every weekend. Then one day, your job takes
you to somewhere in the east coast where for 6 months out of the
year, you can¡¯t play golf. So what do you do? How about picking up
an indoor sport such as racquet ball and become good at it? In this
example you were presented with an opportunity to change because
your job required you to move. There are also times when you need to
initiate change on your own.
Renewal
The
definition I use here is rebirth or revival. Renewal is the ability
to begin things over and over again. Let¡¯s say your golf skills are
now pretty much as good as it gets. Well, perhaps it¡¯s time to pick
up something else that you can be passionate about and get good at
it. The key thing to remember is that when you begin something,
finish it and succeed in it. Then start something else and do this
over and over. This is renewal.
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