Positivity, persistence and patience: three key skills that guarantee progress

Regardless of your vision of success, in order to achieve sustained progress, you will need to remain positive, patient and persistent over the long term. Far from soft skills, these three core values will guarantee you make the best use of your precious time, driving much more powerful results.

A positive outlook

Unfortunately, life doesn’t always go our way. No matter how many milestones we tick off and how many personal or professional goals we achieve, there will always be things that are out of our control. Perhaps the economy means downsizing is now your best option or a particular venture that you went for has failed. The key is to accept this as part of your journey, processing your feelings before picking yourself back up and moving on.

It’s a question of mindset choice. Yes, it’s true that we can’t control everything in our environment, but we can control how you respond. So, don’t get bogged down in self-pity. That’s not to say that we should shelf any negative emotions, as it’s imperative that we process them. It’s simply a case of learning to recognise when it’s time to approach the next steps, being aware of any negative self-talk or detrimental thought cycles that are no longer serving us and perhaps holding us back.

Choosing the people we surround ourselves with carefully forms a key part of this, too. Arnold Schwarzenegger has often shared his mantra of “ignoring the neigh sayers”, recognising the impact that the mindset of those around us has on our own accomplishments and mental health. Surrounding yourself with people that build you up can make a world of difference, particularly when you’ve received some negative feedback and you need to approach things positively to respond proactively, rathe than letting doubt and regret eat away at you.

Remember, failure and negative feedback are not negative in and of themselves. They’re signposts that lead us along the correct path of change, allowing us to remain agile and adapt.

Learn to persist

Another key lesson in resilience is to remain persistent. Don’t let one ‘no’ or negative experience throw you off track, holding on tightly to your ambitions, targets and dreams. Just because something hasn’t worked out right in this moment, it doesn’t mean that it never will. It simply calls for a revised approach, with new techniques, strategies and attitudes more likely to solicit the desired results.

Too often, people give up on an idea, dream or relationship too soon, not realising that the results they aim for are never immediate but take years to fulfil. Learning to sell yourself and stand up for what you believe in can lead to tenacity, giving you the strength you need to go back, ask again and hope for more.

Of course, there will be times when you’ve tried absolutely everything and still, no results. In such cases, it’s important to recognise when things aren’t working, learning to determine when its time to change tact. Just make sure that you’ve already explored every other avenue before letting go – and if something still feels important, even despite this – there are plenty of other roads, trails and routes to explore.

Patience is a virtue

Naturally, staying positive and sticking at it takes patience, particularly when ambitious people are keen to drive fast results. Nevertheless, it’s important to learn to take your time, particularly with larger goals, as rushing things will only diminish progress later in the journey.

Learning to break things down into smaller, achievable milestones can help to pace things for those who find patience doesn’t come naturally. Plus, when accompanied with shorter-term dates for accomplishment – all of which can always be moved – it fosters a sense of greater achievement as you continue to check things off. This feels much more rewarding than waiting for a long stretch of time to accomplish just one overarching goal.

Likewise, learning to manage stress can help to reduce any inner pressures leading to impatience and panic. Breathing techniques are one failsafe tool that’s available to us anywhere, any time and they can make a remarkable difference. Equally, learning to understand other people, acknowledging that they may have different priorities and perspectives, can help to slow things down.

Time is precious and we want to make it count, but in order to count, things need to be done the right way, in the right moment.

No limits

Ultimately, for leaders who learn to be positive, persistent and patient, there are no limits to growth. It’s time to grab opportunity with both hands, learning to be the best version of you. It’s not necessary to do this alone, either. There are plenty of communities out there that offer support and if this is something you feel you could benefit from, it’s time to get connected.

By Jeannette Linfoot www.jeannettelinfootassociates.com