Having persistence gets you up after defeat or failure when a meeting does not go as planned. That sense of resolve helps you forge new paths to the road to success. This is the power of persistence.
Sarah Weddington, J.D., was one of the best-known relentless women I ever met. She was a true warrior. She was the first female (and at age 26!) to ever argue before the Supreme Count two times and win. Dr. Weddington met failures and obstacles head on but never gave up.
When you persevere as a meeting professional, you keep going when the odds are stacked against you. Does this remind you of how you tackled Covid 19 and virtual meetings? You pressed on, learning new skills, and this is exactly what you are continuing to do moving forward.
Some people aren’t born with a fire in the belly, so they either give up or don’t bother putting in the effort. Yet there are others who work hard and assimilate everything they’ve learned. That should be you!
Persistence is an acquired skill. It can be learned to help you manage interpersonal relationships with vendors, caterers, hotel staff and others with whom you interact daily. Knowing that persistence can be learned is motivating! The hard part is practicing it every day. Learn to “burn the box,” get out of your comfort zone and begin taking calculated risks. Staying where it’s comfortable and safe is less stressful, but it’s also less challenging and less fulfilling. When you have enough grit, you can succeed both in and out of the meetings industry.
Thomas Edison created many inventions and made many discoveries. Yet he would be the first person to point out that he failed more times than he could remember. He was proud of his failures and called them “just as valuable to me as the positive results.”
According to Dale Carnegie, “Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.” So what are you waiting for? Get out of the funk and find a way to persevere and keep going forward in 2022.
Mary Kelly, Ph.D., author, speaker, economist and owner of Productive Leaders conducted a survey of successful entrepreneurs. These people were described as tenacious, stubborn, resolute and purposeful. She wanted to know what they do to improve their perseverance and willpower. As she went through their answers, it was easy to see why these people were successful. People who overcome trying times develop certain traits that allow them to go on even during the toughest times.
Dr. Kelly shared with me the top six habits that highly persistent people have in common:
- Determine their purpose and passion
- Improve their critical thinking
- Learn the fine art of persuasion and effective communication
- Fire up their tenacity and optimism
- Focus on the big picture
- Plan some downtime to renew their passion and enthusiasm
Now, go through the list, pick one habit that you think you lack the most. Incorporate this habit of thinking into your daily routine. Once you have mastered this first thing, then pick another one. Repeat as necessary.
Remember it is critical that you become persistent and relentless. You will not make it to the top or be recognized as an expert in meetings without grit and persistence. Start practicing habits of persistence now and have a more successful year in 2022.
About Betty Garrett
Betty Garrett has spent more than three decades in the training, travel and hospitality industries. Her company, Garrett Speakers International, is based in Irving, Texas. Reach Garrett at betty@garrettspeakers.com. Check out their website at www.garrettspeakers.com.
