12/08/07
The Building Blocks of Success: Part V - Determination
Part V of our series on The Building Blocks of Success looks at Determination, the driving force that compels us to carry on with the task at hand against the odds, against the difficulties.
Category: Inner
Posted by: marc
Have you ever done all the hard work but stopped short of your goal because your confidence began to wane just when it all seemed within reach? In fact, at this point your success is just around the corner! And yet if you quit, it won’t matter whether you’re two inches or two miles from the goal: A breakthrough is as far way, if not farther, than when you started.
Why as far away? Because no matter whether it’s two inches or two miles, if you quit then all your background work will have to be redone. Look at it this way: 1000 hours of training is 50 weeks of 20 hours per week . . . and yet to put in the consistency of a thousand-hour year requires a heck of a lot more from you than a mere thousand hours of your time. Lose the inertia and it’s harder to get the ball rolling again.
Why further away? Because if you quit, it means your initial confidence has been eroded away to the point that it will affect your next effort. It’s called “baggage.” This is one reason why first-timers have such a high ratio of success at Ironman: They come into it from a fresh vantage point and they are loaded to the gills with empowering emotions. As neophytes our goals are pure and our arrogance tempered by fear.
And fear can be the ultimate motivator! But having the determination to finish what we started at all costs gives us strength through difficult times. Ask the champions who’ve walked Hawaii. Better yet, ask the ones who chose not to and dropped out! Determination is a resoluteness of purpose, a resolve to carry on without fear of failure until your objective has been reached. It’s “don’t weaken in the tough times” and it’s the voice inside you that speaks up and drowns out the words of the naysayers around you. Unbridled determination is an irresistible force, wearing down good opponents who are nevertheless forced to confront their inequity in the face of your power of determination.
Why as far away? Because no matter whether it’s two inches or two miles, if you quit then all your background work will have to be redone. Look at it this way: 1000 hours of training is 50 weeks of 20 hours per week . . . and yet to put in the consistency of a thousand-hour year requires a heck of a lot more from you than a mere thousand hours of your time. Lose the inertia and it’s harder to get the ball rolling again.
Why further away? Because if you quit, it means your initial confidence has been eroded away to the point that it will affect your next effort. It’s called “baggage.” This is one reason why first-timers have such a high ratio of success at Ironman: They come into it from a fresh vantage point and they are loaded to the gills with empowering emotions. As neophytes our goals are pure and our arrogance tempered by fear.
And fear can be the ultimate motivator! But having the determination to finish what we started at all costs gives us strength through difficult times. Ask the champions who’ve walked Hawaii. Better yet, ask the ones who chose not to and dropped out! Determination is a resoluteness of purpose, a resolve to carry on without fear of failure until your objective has been reached. It’s “don’t weaken in the tough times” and it’s the voice inside you that speaks up and drowns out the words of the naysayers around you. Unbridled determination is an irresistible force, wearing down good opponents who are nevertheless forced to confront their inequity in the face of your power of determination.