Do you have kids?
Even if you don't, have you noticed something very particular about kids?
When they want something, they REALLY want something.
If you go to the store and they want to buy their favorite game, they just ask you for it.
And even if you say no, they persist.
Until you get mad.
And tell them that it's enough.
Even then, they might try again... for a last time!
Kids are very good at this.
Even if they are not conscious of it, they are the « kings and queens of persistence ».
A True Story of a Kid's Persistence
My son has always been a Montreal Canadiens fan.
Watching all their games.
Looking forward to seeing Carey Price.
So much so that one day, he literally announced that he wanted to become a goal keeper. And be like Carey.
So we decided to go for it.
We got his equipment.
He was all excited.
The only thing was this.
He had never skated with goalie skates.
These skates are lower to the ice and offer less stability.
He had to learn a whole new way of skating.
Fast forward to his first hockey training camp.
He was 7 years old.
Getting him dressed up was something.
Not only for him, but also for me, because I was the one who would help him get ready.
I remember it as if it was yesterday.
His first appearance on the ice.
When you Fall, do you Get Up Again?
Half a second after he put his first skate on the ice... He fell.
Got up.
Fell again.
Got up again.
And fell again.
He did that for a long time.
And then, eventually, he could stay upright for 10 to 15 seconds at a time.
Before falling again.
Luckily for him, he had great coaches who helped him get in front of the goal and started showing him the basics.
Watching him almost made me cry.
I thought to myself that he would never want to come back on day 2...
At the end of that first practice, when the coach was standing at the center of the ice and asked all the kids to come to him, so he could tell them what to expect for the next practice, my son did not have time to get to the center. Because he was falling too much.
So all the kids left the ice.
But my son was still trying to get to the center.
When he finally got off the ice (like 5 minutes after everybody else) his eyes were shining.
He said: did you see? At the end of practice, compared to the beginning, I almost didn't fall! I am already improving!
So I asked him: are you coming back tomorrow?
He replied, with high conviction: Of course!
That was my kid's lesson on persistence.
Because he truly wanted to be like Carey, nothing was going to make him stop trying, learning, falling and getting up again.
The whole training camp went fine.
Day after day, he got better and better.
Falling less and less on the ice.
Gaining more and more stability.
And able to concentrate on the goalie exercises instead of the skating technique.
I was so proud of him.
That whole season, his teammates called him Thierry Price.
How funny was that!
My son had the same passion for soccer that he had for hockey.
So at a certain point, the soccer outscored the hockey.
Today he plays competitive soccer and when he's on the field, he's focused.
He has a strong desire to win.
His dream is to become a professional player.
Every day, as parents, we tell him that it takes will, hard work, persistence and a lot of practice to improve, stand out and get selected.
Because only a select few will have that opportunity.
How Persistence is Essential in Business
It's exactly the same thing in business.
When I started, I felt like my son on the ice.
Not really sure.
Not really stable on my skates.
Having a learning curve to go through.
There were frustrations.
There were mistakes.
Well, there will always be mistakes.
But it all has to do with the attitude to persist and keep moving forward.
I have just released episode 200 of my podcast, Marketing to Crush your Competitors.
And I am so proud.
Because I persisted with it.
Because today, people reach out to be on the show.
The opinions, testimonials, insights and inspiration I got out of these fellow entrepreneurs were so good that I also decided to create an eBook out of it.
So if you want to get a kick in the behind;
If you want to know what it takes to keep moving forward;
If you want to hear what others have done, and be moved and inspired by them;
Stand out.
Rise and shine.
Persist.
That's the key ingredient to your highest achievements.
Now, tell me, what has persistence done for you and your business?