The Word of the Month... Year... Lifetime
January’s word of the month is Perseverance.
Everyone knows Aesop’s Fable, The Tortoise and The Hare. Both the Tortoise and the Hare set out on a journey. Now the overconfident Hare runs and stops, runs and plays and chit chats with other and after awhile he takes a nap. Ole Mr. Tortoise moves slow but stays focused and stays the course. He is steadfast and doesn’t let anything throw him off track.
I know the moral of the story has been said to be “slow and steady wins the race, but I see something more in these two characters. I see a story of perseverance.
According to New Oxford American Dictionary, perseverance is steadfastness in doing something despite difficulties or delays in achieving success. It is continued effort to do or accomplish a goal regardless of difficulties, failures or opposition. The action or condition or instance of “stick to itness”!
It is not necessarily about speed but about sticking to it. I remember being in a 5k run. Now I was more walking-jogging than running. My goal was to complete the race. I remember there was a point about 7-10 minutes after the start, when there was an overhead announcement that there was a winner. I thought “already!”. He was fast and steady. I was slow and steady. But because we both persevered, we won our race. There were others who had registered for the race and didn’t show up and still some who did not finish. It’s not about speed it’s about endurance and staying your course. Now granted this was a race, so finishing first mattered; but in the journey of life it is about saying YOUR course, being steadfast in your goals; not in competing against someone else.
I must admit that sometimes I have been Ms. Hare. I am off and running with a fresh idea and then I loose steam to distractions or time. I am not alone, so often we start a new healthy lifestyle, a organization project, a new this or that and in the beginning we are all gung ho about it. We get overwhelmed by the process or the time is taking or we can’t figure out how to proceed or what to do next so we just kind of give up or put in on the “way back” burner.
We stop pushing forward. We loose focus. Let’s strive to persevere and see our dreams, plans and projects through to completion or success.
Synonyms for Perseverance
- persistance
- tenacity
- determination
- resolve
- staying power
- endurance
- moxy
- spunk
- stamina
- stickability
As I was writing this blog kept hearing Men Of Standard singing in my ear and that took my mind to 1 Corinthians 15:58a. This scripture isn’t just for work in the church or ministry; this is about working out with your life that which the Lord has created, purposed, predestined you to do!
- Work Out Your Projects
- Work Out Your Visions
- Work Out Your Healthy Lifestyle Change
Let us persevere this year. Ask for help when you need it. Sometimes a fresh set of eyes or ears can help you see a new or different course of action or insight. Let us do whatever is necessary to push our dreams forward this year. Be Tenacious!
