Transformative Change

From Pain to Gain: The Journey of Persistent Effort

Errol Koolmeister Season 1 Episode 13

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Strap in for an inspiring conversation that will make you rethink your approach to challenges. What if the secret to personal development isn't about avoiding the struggle, but pushing through it? We dive deep into this idea, sharing personal anecdotes and philosophical insights on the transformative power of persistence. It's a journey filled with struggles and moments of pain, but through unwavering commitment, the rewards of perseverance are immense. 

The conversation gets even more interesting as we turn our attention to the role of persistence in the world of business, entrepreneurship, and habit formation. We explore why successful entrepreneurs don't shy away from failure, but rather see it as a chance to innovate and grow. We also discuss the crucial role of persistent effort in maintaining positive habits. Persistence is not just about personal success, it's about fostering resilience in the face of stress and adversity. This episode will not only inspire you to keep moving towards your own goals but also show you how your persistence can motivate others around you. You won't want to miss this powerful exploration of transformative change.

Speaker 1:

Welcome back to another episode of transformative change. Today's topic is the one on persistence. We often thought that persistence is the key to being successful. The work you have to put in is not just a one-time effort, but you have to do it continuously in order to reap the benefits of your investments in yourself and into others. I do agree that the difference about seeing results is the amount of work that you put into it and that you continuously do it, and I try to draw conclusions about these topics that I talk about from myself.

Speaker 1:

I think growing up or I know growing up that I never knew exactly what I wanted to do, so I wanted to expose myself to as many different things as possible, and the way I constructed my life was a lot around consistency in knowledge. So I picked the topic. I became extremely interested in that topic. It could be anything from different games to coding to certain books, it could be mathematics, statistics even at one point, and I spent about five to six weeks on every single topic and in my head I wasn't persistent in the topic, I was persistent in gaining the knowledge. My goal from a very early age was to learn as much as possible, but not as deep as you could go. The bigger picture was more interesting for me in general, and I remember being done with school after spending 12 years in it for the first round, I took a leap year off because I didn't really know what to do and I spent this year trying to figure out. I took a regular job at the gas station and I was trying to work out the routines and I realized that the focus I've had my entire life on learning something new was super important for me and that was my persistence and I took a decision, even though I don't know what it is that I want to become when I'm a grown up we're never grown up and we never know exactly what we want to do I want to continue the path of learning. So I applied initially for a cross functional or cross topic type of program which was mixing everything from rhetoric to organizational theory, to mathematics, to statistics, to business administration, because I never wanted to stop the focus on learning and that was my key. I think, and I still do, that I try to pick new things. So in a grown up age I focus a lot on also trying to figure out what I think is fun. Is it sailing, is it boat, is it motorcycle? Is it traveling? Is it reading new books again, exposing myself to new topics and all of these things is the consistency and persistency in learning, not standing still, and I think any type of investment in yourself and in others, as I mentioned, requires this skill Persistence, because persistence is key. So that was a quick introduction to today's topic.

Speaker 1:

First, I want to start out with a reminder of what this podcast is all about. This podcast, transformative Change, is about the major shifts in environments that significantly changes the characteristics or the outcome. This type of change brings about deep and lasting transformations that fundamentally change the way things are done, the way people think or view certain situations, or the direction in which a society or organization is headed. The goal of Transformative Change and this podcast is to improve the overall well-being of individuals, communities or to address systematic problems or inequalities. In this podcast, we will digest cross-cutting topics that are needed to drive the transformational journeys, where no areas are supposed to be off-limit, and the purpose is to help you you that are listening to this in your journey towards creating long-lasting impact in the world and society.

Speaker 1:

So back to the topic persistence, and what does it really mean? When I try to find a definition of persistence. We all know and will have an idea. It generally refers to the quality or ability of something to continue to exist. So a bit philosophical in that sense the ability to continue to exist, endure or maintain its state over time despite challenges, obstacles or changes in the environment. It is often associated with the concept of perseverance, which involves steadfastness and determination in achieving a goal, even in the face of difficulties. So let's break that down a little bit. Persistence also requires, apparently, then, in these definitions, to overcome challenges. Let's take things like personal growth.

Speaker 1:

In personal development, persistence refers to the determination and effort one puts into achieving their goals or overcoming challenges. When we talk about personal growth, it can be very, of course, personal, and that means that when you have issues, you might have a trauma from your childhood or previous relationship, and it requires you, in order to be healed or healthy, depending on how I want to define it or what goal you have to do the work. Doing the work is not easy on yourself, trust me. I spent the last few years working on my own personal issues, and the journey has taken me through tremendous growth, but also tremendous pain. I've gone through divorce, I've gone to selling house assets, I've gone through a lot of focusing on myself, another that started with setting a goal that I want to be better, I want to reach a higher state, I want to feel well, I want to feel whole. And that work isn't easy, it doesn't come overnight, it takes several years and requires you to be persistent, and the challenges and obstacles in personal growth can be tremendous, and we have to be prepared that when we talk about personal growth and perseverance, this is a struggle you have to decide for yourself that you're willing to do. But when you do so and when you actually reach those targets, I know today I feel so much better than I did two years ago, three years ago. But the process of going through the pains because in personal growth and development there is no growth without going through the challenges, there are no shortcuts and I think this is very you can't cheat your way to doing these things. And those who come now on the side and saying, well, there's always the chemical path, I don't agree, because we want this to be long lasting, we want something to maintain the state over time. So personal growth is a very hard topic to work on and this is, of course, what we're doing with this podcast. We are discussing how to be better, how we can perform this transformative change in the world.

Speaker 1:

Talking about research, which is there to my heart. In research, for instance, when we talk about, persistence can refer to the stability and consistency of certain phenomena or results of repeated experiments or observations. It's important for scientific findings to be replicable and reliable. Just as a side note, when we talk about technology, technology persistence often refers to the ability of data or settings to be retained even when a system is turned off or experienced power loss. So these are a little bit more technical things.

Speaker 1:

Which is more common to talk about, I think, is business and entrepreneurship. So in businesses, persistence can be crucial for entrepreneurs who face challenges and setbacks while trying to establish or grow a business. Successful entrepreneurs often exhibit persistence by learning from failures and continuing to adopt and innovate. But I also think a key topic in businesses and entrepreneurship when it comes to persistence is really about your ability to endure hardship. I work with a lot of entrepreneurs today and they haven't taken the easy path of being employed. They are brilliant people many of the entrepreneurs I work with and you can really see that they could get a job at a corporate, earn a good salary, but this is not what they want to do. They want to build something bigger and hopefully one day towards the end of their entrepreneurship or beginning of something bigger. When they sell they get massively rewarded for this. But you can see that every day they have to wake up and they have to go through the struggles of not knowing who is my customer, who is going to pay my salary, who is going to sponsor these things. So business and entrepreneurship isn't for everyone. It requires people with a clear perseverance and a clear dedication to the task.

Speaker 1:

When we talk about also habits and behavior. So in psychology this might be close to personal growth. In psychology and self-improvement, persistence is related to forming and maintaining positive habits. Going to the gym you want to grow muscle, you want to lose weight. It requires you to be extremely persistent. I think I've tried my entire life to grow muscle and it goes up and down. But growing muscle I read a study somewhere that, yes, in your first year of going to the gym you can put on maybe three or four kilos. Then every year after that is one to two kilos. So imagine, if you're doing this the natural way, the amount of time and dedication on clean eating, proteins, the right amount of calories. It requires you to be really persistent, and maintaining these healthy habits is hard. I have had periods in my life two, three years when I went to the gym. I was really fit and then something happened and I lost my persistence. So we really have to acknowledge the effort behind habits and behavior. Eating good and eating well these are things that requires you to be really dedicated to the task. But overall, persistence evolved the ability to maintain the effort and focus in the pursuit of these long term goals. And how do we really do that? How do we switch on? How do we, despite the difficulties or distractions that may arise on the way and this is something I look for in people and something I value and admire it's a valuable trait that can lead to success in various aspects of life.

Speaker 1:

It's considered a key factor really in achieving any type of success. While there are many factors that contribute to success, persistence plays a crucial role in overcoming all these challenges, setbacks and obstacles. So why is it? Okay, I'm going to list a few things now that I think are key in really understanding why persistence is good. So overcoming obstacle. Success rarely comes without hurdles. Persistence helps individuals to stay focused and determined in facing difficulties, overcoming all of these types of obstacles. So you can probably think yourself of some of these things that you had to overcome. It can be hard discussions with your partner in order to have a better relationship, going to the office and having a hard discussion with your manager or coworkers. You might have a goal of having a better career, but that requires you to have sponsorship from your manager. I've done this a couple of times. You need to sit down with your manager and discuss your career path and have their support, because without their support, you're not getting anywhere.

Speaker 1:

Learning from failure Failure is, of course, a natural part of any journey to success. Those of you that heard the expression that fail fast. It's so true, but fail fast and learn is even more important than failing, because if you don't learn from your failures, then what's the point of failing? You're just going to repeat the same thing over and over again and when you fail, adapt, adjust and keep trying until you find a way that works Consistency, so success often requires consistent effort over the prolonged period of time, and I think the time aspect is here, being skill and expertise. Mastery in any field usually comes from dedicated practice and learning over time. Persistence allows individuals to develop the skills and expertise necessary for success.

Speaker 1:

Resilience being persistent cultivates resilience. Resilient individuals are better equipped to handle stress, adversity and uncertainty, all of which are part of the journey towards success. I think resilience is a key word, but I just want to highlight. In my point of view, it is really about uncertainty. I think being persistent is okay with not knowing the outcome but still going after it. Resilient for the stress that comes from uncertainty, but also being dedicated enough knowing that I might not reach that goal. But I learned something and for me it's a learning journey constantly.

Speaker 1:

Goal achievement Many significant achievements take time and effort. Persistent keeps individuals on track, preventing them from abandoning their goals prematurely. Opportunities and timing. So persistence increases the likelihood of encountering opportunities. Success often involves being in the right place at the right time, and persistent individuals are more likely to be present when those opportunities arise.

Speaker 1:

Inspiration and motivation Others are often inspired by people who display persistence. Your determination can motivate others to keep working towards their own goals. So, in the context here of transformative change, being a persistent individual that want to better the world creates yourself as a role model for others, where they can draw inspiration as well. So, even though you might be doing things for yourself in order to better yourself, you're bettering the world as well and you're bringing about this positive change that we constantly are talking about, which is so important. I think it's important also to note that persistence should be balanced with adaptability. Sometimes, circumstances change and it's necessary to adjust strategies or even re-assess goals.

Speaker 1:

While persistence can help you stay on track, it's also important to recognize when it's appropriate to pivot or make changes. So, in conclusion, while persistence is valuable trait for achieving success, it's just one piece of the puzzle. A combination of persistence, adaptability, skill development, strategic planning and a bit of luck can all contribute to the journey towards accomplishing your goals. So becoming persistent requires that the mindset, the strategies and the habits all box together, so you can't do one without the other. You can't be persistent without the clear strategy on what you're going to do, having the habits form the right mindset for it.

Speaker 1:

So what can you do to cultivate your persistence? These are some suggestions from my side. Clarifying these goals is important. To have A strong sense of purpose can fuel your motivation to persist, even when faced with challenges. Developing a growth mindset. Embrace a growth mindset, which means believing that your abilities and intelligence can be developed through effort and learning. This mindset encourages you to see a challenge as opportunity to grow rather than as an indication of failure. Break down these goals, so divide your larger goals into smaller, manageable steps. This makes your objectives more achievable and allows you to track progress, giving you a sense of accomplishment along the way.

Speaker 1:

Create the plan. Develop a well-throught-through plan with specific actions timelines. Having a roadmap can help you stay focused and organized, making it easier to persist. Stay positive. Maintain a positive attitude even in the face of setbacks. Focus on the progress you made and the lessons you learned, rather than dwelling on failures. Build resilience and cultivate the ability to bounce back from setbacks. Practice handling stress, disappointment and failure in healthy ways. This resilience will help you keep going when things get tough.

Speaker 1:

Stay persistent in the face of failure. Stay adaptable. Make sure you have the right support. Celebrate small wins. Stay disciplined. Visualize success. Manage your time. Practice patience. Remember that becoming more persistent is a gradual process. It's about developing habits and adopting a mindset that supports your long-term goals. Be kind to yourself along the way and keep learning and growing as you work towards achieving what you set out to accomplish. This was the episode about persistence. I hope you liked it. If you have any feedback, feel free to email me at infoarollcom. Share the podcast with your friends if you like it and don't forget to follow. Until next time, thank you.

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