The Importance Of Staying Power.
How perseverance and passion are nonnegotiables in this life.
“Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.” — Dale Carnegie
I grew up in a family that encouraged the boundlessness of possibility in self and the world. A perspective that inspired that anything was truly possible, if you wanted it bad enough and worked hard enough to make it happen. My family also believed in the remarkable power of grit; a trait based on an individual’s perseverance of effort combined with the passion for a particular long-term goal or end state. Perseverance and passion, combined to create what every start-up, leadership team, technology, invention, relationship, and soul journey needs; staying power.
“Success depends upon staying power. The reason for failure in most cases is lack of perseverance.” — J.R. Miller
‘Staying power’ has always been a remarkable quality in the entrepreneurs and technologies we evaluate, but today it has become more paramount than any other time in history. Why? Because it’s impossible to keep people’s attention nowadays. Everyone has become mildly if not wildly hyperactive and easily-distracted due to the amount of stimuli our systems experience on a daily basis.
Have you ever rewatched an old movie you used to love and then found it significantly less exciting and entertaining as you remember it? For me it was recently Con Air, an action/thriller from 1997. My husband had never seen it so I insisted it was a must-watch, but as we got into the opening scenes I was embarrassed how lackluster they seemed compared to modern-day Marvel or DC Comics blockbusters for instance.
Our systems have been overstimulated and therefore require more engaging inputs for an even less engaged response. In my years of coaching tenacious executives and entrepreneurs, the work is never solely about the business, it most certainly always has to do with every other input in their lives as well, whether it’s personal, professional, spiritual, emotional, mental or physical. Regardless of how one defines “success” in any particular area of their life, stamina is always required in order to see lasting results. Albert Einstein said, “It’s not that I’m so smart. It’s just that I stay with problems longer”. And Norman Vincent Peale said, “Faith supplies staying power. Anyone can keep going when the going is good, but some extra ingredient is needed to keep you fighting when it seems that everything is against you”.
Staying power allows us to unlock our greatest potential. It allows those around us and the communities we want to positively impact to not only witness transformation but to integrate it at a foundational level so it’s lasting. Staying power is needed not just in startups and technologies, but especially in relationships with self and others. How much have you evolved since you were born? How much have you grown and implemented lessons learned since the start of your company, mission or relationship with friends, colleagues or a significant other? How much has the staying power of your loved ones, committed professional partners, investors, and all those around you allowed for the unfolding towards your truer, more genuine and authentic self? Even in regards to investing, hasn’t the long-term game been way more lucrative than the short-term game for you?
“Commitment cannot be taught; it can only be caught. I refer to the crusading spirit. Without the crusading spirit, you may have the starting power but not the staying power.” — Y. C. James Yen
Staying power is necessary not just for growth but more importantly for contribution, especially if you subscribe to the belief that ‘the secret to living is giving’. That never give up quality, insatiable hunger, or perseverance is what invariably takes a start-up, technology, individual, or relationship to the next and lasting level. Giving up or walking away is easy, sticking it out is hard; ‘if you’re going through hell, keep going’.
So, check-in with yourself. What are you simply enduring versus engaging with wholeheartedly and consciously, with a staying power that just won’t quit and is doing whatever it takes to elevate and appreciate the multitude of opportunities in front of you? Where in life are you perhaps settling versus leveling-up to the next more extraordinary phase? Who do you have to become in order to engage with this ‘staying power’ part of yourself, someone who will not just never give up, but who will try and try again relentlessly until a resolution is reached? What part of yourself do you need to lovingly accept, let go of, engage with more deeply, or cultivate in order to see this growth both inside and outside of yourself? What experts do you need to leverage in order to get the support you need to make it happen, whatever it is?
So cheers to staying power. Don’t underestimate the tremendous ability to stick with it, to stay passionate and to persevere. Always leave on a high note, consciously, never a low one. It will pay off. Stay present and patient. And remember, staying power is your superpower!
Prime Movers Lab invests in breakthrough scientific startups founded by Prime Movers, the inventors who transform billions of lives. We invest in companies reinventing energy, transportation, infrastructure, manufacturing, human augmentation, and agriculture.
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