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LILY Life & Style OD
THE ART OF PERSISTENCE
Written by Leonie Lockwood Flowing Life Yoga and Meditation
Some would argue that persistence isn’t an art form, but rather a dogged approach to get the results you want- head down, bum up kind of thing. However whilst persistence requires us to work, it’s how, why and when we work to achieve our desired results that makes persistence an art form. When I was a teenager my dad gave me a quote from Calvin Coolidge to put above my desk which goes something like this “Nothing in this world will take place like persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent“. Unfortunately, rather than serving to inspire me with my schooling, this quote, at the time, seemed harsh and draconian. I interpreted this as hard work and nothing else and of course as a teenager, all I wanted to do was to explore the world, not study. Now I’m bringing up this notion of persistence because we’re heading towards the end of the year. A time when we start to tell ourselves that we’re going to lose a bit of weight before
Christmas, going to stick to our new years’ resolutions, next year will be different than this year etc, you know the score! I’m a big believer in New Years’ resolutions, but just not at the New Year. Yes, there is something significant about the time and date, but why wait, I find if I get a head start on my resolutions then they are more likely to be implemented and embedded prior to the New Year. This allows me to relax on 1 January, knowing that I am already part way there with my goal. This makes it easier to continue. Lately, I’ve revisited Calvin Coolidge’s interpretation of persistence as I stepped away from the income security of a full time job to expand my business Flowing Life. What I didn’t see as a teenager, I certainly see now.