#141 Stick to it.

Sometimes one of the hardest things we face in life is to remain steadfast. That means staying strong in your core beliefs, your values or moving towards your purpose. Life is hard, even for those who seem to have everything. We will all face moments where we want to give up. Moments where summoning every ounce of strength in you is not an easy thing. The next day may be easier, or harder but regardless we are all capable of more than we often give.

I was once a kid who would get excited about everything from chess, to singing, dancing and guitar. Until I found Jiu Jitsu, the one activity that somehow kept my attention. Maybe it was the reality every day of being submitted by everyone in the class unlike most traditional martial art forms which involve endless hours of repetition. Or it was the idea of empowerment, the idea that would one day become an unstoppable force like Bruce Lee in the movies, or the knight who saves the princess. Either way it was that desire which led me all the way to black belt and the understanding that, to quote Nietzsche, “A man with a why can endure any how”.

Don’t be the miner that stopped just three feet from a large ore vein. Whatever it is that you are doing, keep hammering. Without the essential skill of stick-to-it-iveness you will often fall short of your goals.