February 21, 2025 • 17 mins
Introduction: The Power of Decisiveness and Persistence I understand that decisiveness and persistence are vital for transforming my dreams into reality. I’ve seen how many people remain in the “what if” stage, which I can overcome by adopting these two principles. I appreciate the supporters of the show’s Indiegogo campaign. I know I must act on knowledge through decision and persistence.
Decisiveness: Making Firm Choices I need to make firm decisions to avoid losing momentum. My decisiveness involves choosing a definite course of action while eliminating alternatives. I understand the distinction between choices, which offer fallback plans, and true decisions, which leave no room for alternatives. I know my hesitation and indecision waste time and lead to missed opportunities. To enhance my decisiveness, I’ll set clear criteria aligned with my vision, as I learned from Katya’s interview. I’ll use the “five-second rule” by counting down from five before making decisions. I recognize how too many choices can lead to paralysis, just like in restaurant menus.
Persistence: Overcoming Setbacks and Staying Committed I know persistence means sticking to my chosen path despite facing setbacks and failures. It connects with my discipline and grit, helping me overcome obstacles and learn from mistakes. I’ll focus on having a clear purpose, a definite plan, ignoring naysayers, and cultivating my support system. I’ll break down my vision into smaller, manageable steps and focus on daily progress. I’ll work with accountability partners and revisit my “why” every day. I’m inspired by J.K. Rowling’s story of persistence through numerous rejections.
Synergy of Decision and Persistence I understand that my decisiveness initiates action, while my persistence sustains it through challenges and doubts. I look to role models like Steve Jobs who demonstrate how bold decisions, coupled with persistence through failures, can lead to success. I’ll reflect on decisions I need to make and areas where I need increased persistence.
Conclusion I know that decision propels my progress, and persistence ensures I stay in the game, building success through bold choices and relentless effort. I’ll share my stories of decisiveness and persistence, and I look forward to learning about mastermind groups in the next topic.
Core Points:
- I believe decisiveness and persistence are essential for turning my visions into reality. I need to make firm decisions quickly to maintain momentum.
- I must differentiate between choices (with fallback plans) and decisions (no wiggle room). I understand that my indecision allows time to decide for me.
- To improve my decisiveness, I’ll set clear criteria aligned with my vision, use the five-second rule, and limit my options to avoid analysis paralysis.
- I’ll cultivate persistence by knowing my purpose, planning, blocking negativity, and building my supportive network.
- I can build persistence by breaking my visions into smaller steps, finding accountability partners, and revisiting my “why” daily for sustained commitment.
- I know decision initiates action, while persistence sustains it through challenges. I’ll embrace failures as learning opportunities.
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#howtobedecisive #howtobepersistent #overcomingobstacles #leadershipskills #improvedecisionmaki
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Tim Staton (00:00):
Hey, and welcome back to another episode.
Have you ever wondered why some people turn their dreams into reality while others stay stuck
in the what if stage?
It all comes down to two key principles (00:09):
decisiveness and persistence.
Without them, even the clearest vision remains just a dream.
However, before we get into this, I wanna give a very special shout out to team members who
have shown their support for this show and during our Indiegogo campaign.
(00:31):
I wanna thank David Rosato, Jim Carlo, Chris Patton, Jonathan Elias, Lindsay Davis, Pamela Koppelman,
and my parents, Mike and Robin Staton, for showing their support for the show.
With your support, we have reached 6% of our total goal.
So thank you very much, and I'm very humbled by your response.
(00:51):
If you're listening and you wanna know how you can help keep the show going and be a member
of the the team, check the description.
There's a link for Indiegogo, and that will take you to our campaign page.
There are only forty four days left to help, and we only have 10 books left to be claimed.
And they're gonna be personally signed and numbered by me.
So don't miss out on your opportunity to get a book and contribute to the show and keep the show going.
(01:14):
Again, thank you so much.
Now last time we talked, we talked about specialized knowledge, imagination, and organized planning.
We talked about how learning the right skills, thinking creatively, and crafting a solid plan are essential for success.
But knowledge and planning mean nothing without action.
And that's where we talk about today's principles of decision and persistence.
(01:38):
But why do these principles matter?
Well, successful people decide quickly and stick to their path despite obstacles.
If you've been struggling moving forward with your vision, today's episode is for you.
This is Tim Staton with Tim Staton the obvious.
What is this podcast about? It's simple.
(01:59):
You are entitled to great leadership everywhere you go, whether it's your church, whether it's
to work, whether it's at your house, you are entitled to great leadership.
And so in this podcast, we take leadership principles and theories and turn them into everyday relatable and usable advice.
Disclaimer (02:16):
And a quick disclaimer, this show, processed or serviced by trademark, trademark manufacturer,
otherwise does not necessarily constitute and implied endorsement of anyone that I employed
by or favor zen the representation.
The views are expressed here in my show are my own expressed and do not necessarily state or
reflect those of any employer.
Tim Staton (02:27):
There is power in being able to make a decision.
And Napoleon Hill says the mastery of procrastination was the seventh step towards riches.
Meaning, the procrastination of everybody else and the procrastination of everyone slowing down
to make a choice or decision, is what helps you, who can make decisions, who can be decisive, get richer quicker.
(02:52):
But in when it comes to making a vision, there is a clear distinction in being able to make
a decision versus a choice.
So what's the difference between a decision and a choice?
Well, a decision gets rid of any other avenue. There's no wiggle room. There's no out.
So if you say that you're going to buy a car, well, you're not gonna you're not gonna buy a motorcycle.
(03:17):
You're going to to buy a car.
It cuts off any other mode of transportation because you're in and you're committed to buying that car.
Or if you're going to say, I'm going to go skydiving, I'm going to jump out of a plane.
Once you leave that aircraft, there's no going back.
There there's no wiggle room out of it.
When you have a choice, that's where you give yourself an illusion of a decision, but you know there's fallback plans.
(03:45):
So in case it doesn't work out, well then I'll just do this.
Well then I'll just do the next thing.
Well then I'll just do the next best thing.
And those are all choices. Those aren't decisions.
And oftentimes, no decision is a decision, and time will make a decision for you.
And studies have found that successful people make quick and firm decisions.
(04:07):
They're decisive because hesitation kills your momentum.
When you're indecisive, that leads to self doubt, wasted time, and lost opportunities.
I want you to think for a second how many times you lost an opportunity because you didn't decide
quick enough to do something.
How much time did you actually waste thinking about doing something before you actually did it?
(04:30):
And then as you're thinking about doing the things that you're doing, you come up with all these
other options and all these other things on why you can't do the thing that you say you're trying to do.
If you just decide right up front, I'm going to do this, cut off every other avenue of approach,
I am going to do this, I got no other way, I must get this done, you're going to be more successful.
(04:53):
And when we're decisive in our decision making when it comes towards our vision, every step
towards your goal requires you to make a choice.
It requires you to make a decision.
And the faster you make that decision, the faster you turn your idea into an action.
At the end of the day, our vision gets us into action to get us the things that we're trying
(05:15):
to get after or do, whether it's building a fortune 500 company or buying a house or having,
you know, going to college or getting a degree.
Every vision has to have an action that goes along with it.
And so I wanna offer up a couple Staton that we can use to be able to make better decisions. Right?
(05:38):
So you gotta set your clear criteria.
If a decision aligns with your vision and values, say, yep.
I'm going to do this.
And I'm reminded of an interview that we did last year with, Katya.
And she was talking about how she makes decisions based on alignment with her goals and her vision.
(05:59):
When I called her and said, hey.
This is what I'm doing for the show.
I would like to interview you.
I like, your your topic.
Can do you mind coming and sharing with it?
My goal is to build better leaders in the world, and I think you have a lot to offer, and I
would like to share that with people who listen to the show.
She instantly said yes because it was in alignment with her business and what she does, which
(06:22):
is builds building better female entrepreneurs.
So it was in alignment.
So she didn't have to think about, well, is this a good choice for me?
Is this a good fit for me?
She goes, is it in alignment with what I'm doing? The answer is yes.
If the alignment is not with what I'm doing, the answer is no.
Really simple to make that decision.
It's because they already set a clear set criteria of if it is in alignment, the answer is yes.
(06:45):
If it's not, it's no.
Then you can also use the five second rule.
Before you even talk or give an answer, count to five backwards.
So five, four, three, two, one, and then decide.
If you overthink it, it's going to stall your progress.
And I have fallen victim to this all the time of, well, well, maybe it could be this or maybe
(07:06):
it could be that, when really, it just needed it needed a more quicker answer.
And sometimes I've lost opportunities because I took too long to respond back.
You also need to limit your options. Right?
Because when we think that we're making a decision, we're really giving ourselves choices.
And we talked about that just a few seconds ago. Limit your options.
If you have too many choices, then you come up to create you come up to, like, choice paralysis.
(07:31):
You need to be able to simplify your choices and simplify your path.
How many times have you gone up to a restaurant and, you know, you look at the menu and there's
like a thousand and one things at the menu, and you're like, I have no idea what I wanna order.
There's just so much to choose from, so much to look at.
And if you're like me, you look through the whole menu and then you just order what you're used
(07:54):
to ordering because you know that's good, and you don't want to try anything else because you're
like, well, if I try something else, I'm gonna get disappointed because there's too many options.
You need to simplify your choices.
Some of the best restaurants out there and the best quick serve and fast food restaurants have
the fewest options because you go up there.
If I go to a burger joint, Five Guys is a great example of this.
(08:16):
If you go to Five Guys, you could only get a couple of things, fries and burgers in a couple
of different sizes of types of burgers, and that's it.
You're not getting anything else.
So it's like, oh, I came here because I want a burger, and I want a cheeseburger, and I want some fries and drink. Cool.
A hundred bucks, you're out the door, and you got what you want.
They help to limit your paralysis of decision making, and then they can cook the burgers and
(08:38):
give you a bigger time.
But that the same is true when it comes up to your vision and how you make visions for yourself.
Limit your limit your options.
Be decisive and keep your path simple.
So if you can, think of one decision that you've been avoiding, and then commit to make that decision today. Go, You know what?
(08:59):
I am I've been holding this off.
I'm gonna make this decision today.
Let me know what that decision was and how long you were, you know, holding off on making it,
and and how it turned out.
I'm really interested in that.
So in this next segment, we're gonna be talking about our second principle, which is persistence and achieving your vision.
So there is no substitute for persistence, and I've talked about the difference between motivation
(09:22):
and discipline before, and persistence goes in with discipline.
You have to be able to stick to it.
You have to have that grit. Right?
And no major success happens without setbacks. You're going to fail. It's just inevitable.
No matter how many times you try at something, you're gonna make mistakes, you're gonna fail,
and you're gonna fall down, and you're gonna get back up.
(09:43):
But it's how quickly that you can overcome that and get not discouraged from what you're going to achieve.
I I'm reminded of Jerry Falwell.
He would always say that your level of greatness is determined by what discourages you the most.
And that really resonates with me because if you get discouraged and you lose your persistence
(10:05):
to move forward, then you're not gonna be successful.
You're going to let the obstacle win.
But if you keep going, you're gonna overcome the obstacles, and you're starting from a better
place than you did before.
Even when Henry Ford said, Well, if you fail, you get a chance to start over again, but start
over again with the perspective of better knowledge than when you had started before.
(10:26):
So you're incrementally inching forward towards the end zone, towards the goal, towards your vision.
And when we think about persistence, I want you to think about four key assets to it.
I want you to think about what is your clear purpose.
You have to know why you're doing what you're doing.
You need to have a definite plan.
Even a rough plan beats no plan at all. Block out negativity.
(10:49):
You need to be able to ignore naysayers, people who are gonna tell you, you can't do this, this
is gonna take too much time, you're never gonna be successful, you're never gonna do this, you lack this. You don't have this. You don't have that.
Whatever that is, block out that negativity. Block out those naysayers.
And then you need to have a support system.
Surround yourself with like minded people who are going to support you and your vision, your
(11:12):
goals to help you all succeed forward, to help you all get to where you're going successfully.
So when we talk about persistence, we talk about those four key areas, but how do we actually
get into the practice of building persistence?
Well, I would offer up that you need to break your vision into smaller steps. Focus on daily progress.
You've probably heard me say this before and I'm gonna say it again and again.
(11:34):
If you're not doing three things every day that build to your weekly three goals to build to
your weekly to build to your three monthly goals, that build to your three quarterly goals,
which then build to your three yearly goals, you're never gonna get those incremental steps
in, and you're never going to see that success because you're not inching forward.
So break your vision down into smaller steps.
(11:56):
You need to find accountability partners.
Who is gonna check-in on you and help you stay committed to your goals?
If you say, hey, you know, my goal and my vision is to be more fit and more healthy by next
year, who are you sharing that with?
And so they can tell you, hey.
You know, I saw you at the McDonald's the other day, or I saw you at this other place the other day.
(12:17):
You said you wanted to lose weight.
I'm not here to to bash you, but I'm trying to help you out. Hey.
Or you said you wanted to get this thing done and start your business off of off of the ground.
Did you file for your LLC yet?
Did you file for that certification?
Did you file for that permit? Hey.
You said that you wanted to get this degree.
Did you enroll in school yet?
Did you take this test that helps you get into school?
(12:39):
It's not to be called out on the things that you're not doing, but it's to raise awareness to
the things that you're not doing because you lack the discipline to do it and the motivation to do it.
Those people help get you there by having your accountability partner.
And I'll be honest, a lot of people don't want accountability because it's hard.
It's hard to hear about yourself from other people.
(13:00):
And then the last thing that we need to do is we need to revisit your why daily.
Motivation will fade, but your commitment and your discipline is what lasts and keep you going.
And and I'm reminded of JK Rowling when it comes to the Harry Potter series.
You know, she was rejected 12 Tim, and she kept going.
(13:21):
And eventually, she she broke through, and now it's a billion dollar franchise.
Could you imagine what the world would be today if that author gave up and said, you know what? It's too hard.
I'm just not gonna be persistent enough to get through it.
She would have lost out on a billion dollar franchise.
So it could get discouraging, but just know that that day is gonna come where you're gonna break through.
(13:43):
And if you could, think of a time where you quit too Staton, and then think about what happened
and what was the outcome, and then think about what you could have done if you had pushed through
it, and what would that outcome could have been.
The you know, so just pick one and think about it, and and have that kind of sting a little
bit as you apply that to your current vision.
(14:05):
Because now you're relying upon a past, previous a past or a previous experience that you said
you were gonna do something, and then you just didn't do it, and somebody else succeeded Staton
that could have been you.
That could have been you succeeding at it, but because you quit a little bit too early, because
you didn't push through, you you missed out.
Think about that in your current situation today as you think about persistence.
(14:29):
But how does decision and persistence work together?
Well, decision gets you started. Decision gets you moving.
Persistence keeps you going through it even when the times get hard, even when you feel the doubt creep in. Right?
And so think about all the other great role models out there that show us how decisiveness and
(14:52):
persistence go hand in hand.
So Steve Steve Jobs at Apple. Right?
They made bold decisions about the iPhone, failed numerous times to make it work, then finally got it to work.
The redesign of the MacBook failed miserably several times, but then all of a sudden it became a huge product.
And because they persisted through the failures, learning from each setback, you know, they've
(15:14):
able to be the different brand of the technology world, of the home computing, of the the thinkers
and the creativity people in the world.
When you think about Apple, you think about, oh, this is the creative type.
When you think about PC, oh, that's the business type.
And that's because they've pushed through their persistence and the boundaries.
So when we take a personal reflection on this, think about something on a decision that you need to make.
(15:38):
We already talked about you, about how we were making a decision that we were putting off. Think about that.
What is a decision that you need to make?
And then where do you need to apply more persistence in your life to keep it going?
And and what are those principles of persistence that you need to apply that maybe you just
didn't think about that could help you push through it.
So I'm gonna end with this in mind.
(16:00):
I wanna end with this. Decision moves you forward.
Persistence keeps you in the game.
Success is built on bold choices and relentless effort.
Your vision won't achieve itself.
It needs you to make decisions and for you to refuse to quit.
So in the next episode, we're gonna be talking about what the mastermind group is and why we
(16:23):
need to surround ourselves with people who can help us or break us in success.
If you feel like sharing a decisive and persistent story that was a great win, tag us in in
in your post of Tim Day in the Obvious to talk about that, or go to any of our, social media
websites and tag us there.
As always, thank you for stopping by and checking out this episode and listening to it.
(16:45):
I really hope that you enjoyed it.
Before we go, I'd like to ask a favor of you if I could.
If you could please share this episode with one or two people who you think might like this topic.
If you haven't followed or subscribed on the platform that you're listening to and hit all the
bells and icons and all the whistles so that you know that when we post another episode, you'll be alerted.
Please go ahead and do all that before you go.
(17:06):
If you got some value out of this episode, please leave a review or a comment so we can help
spread the show to other people who might be interested in the topics that we've talked about
here today but may not have found our show yet.
Again, thanks for stopping by. I'm Tim Stainton. Daily Obvious.
Hey, and welcome back to another episode.
Have you ever wondered why some people turn their dreams into reality while others stay stuck
in the what if stage?
It all comes down to two key principles (00:09):
decisiveness and persistence.
Without them, even the clearest vision remains just a dream.
However, before we get into this, I wanna give a very special shout out to team members who
have shown their support for this show and during our Indiegogo campaign.
(00:31):
I wanna thank David Rosato, Jim Carlo, Chris Patton, Jonathan Elias, Lindsay Davis, Pamela Koppelman,
and my parents, Mike and Robin Staton, for showing their support for the show.
With your support, we have reached 6% of our total goal.
So thank you very much, and I'm very humbled by your response.
(00:51):
If you're listening and you wanna know how you can help keep the show going and be a member
of the the team, check the description.
There's a link for Indiegogo, and that will take you to our campaign page.
There are only forty four days left to help, and we only have 10 books left to be claimed.
And they're gonna be personally signed and numbered by me.
So don't miss out on your opportunity to get a book and contribute to the show and keep the show going.
(01:14):
Again, thank you so much.
Now last time we talked, we talked about specialized knowledge, imagination, and organized planning.
We talked about how learning the right skills, thinking creatively, and crafting a solid plan are essential for success.
But knowledge and planning mean nothing without action.
And that's where we talk about today's principles of decision and persistence.
(01:38):
But why do these principles matter?
Well, successful people decide quickly and stick to their path despite obstacles.
If you've been struggling moving forward with your vision, today's episode is for you.
This is Tim Staton with Tim Staton the obvious.
What is this podcast about? It's simple.
(01:59):
You are entitled to great leadership everywhere you go, whether it's your church, whether it's
to work, whether it's at your house, you are entitled to great leadership.
And so in this podcast, we take leadership principles and theories and turn them into everyday relatable and usable advice.
Disclaimer (02:16):
And a quick disclaimer, this show, processed or serviced by trademark, trademark manufacturer,
otherwise does not necessarily constitute and implied endorsement of anyone that I employed
by or favor zen the representation.
The views are expressed here in my show are my own expressed and do not necessarily state or
reflect those of any employer.
Tim Staton (02:27):
There is power in being able to make a decision.
And Napoleon Hill says the mastery of procrastination was the seventh step towards riches.
Meaning, the procrastination of everybody else and the procrastination of everyone slowing down
to make a choice or decision, is what helps you, who can make decisions, who can be decisive, get richer quicker.
(02:52):
But in when it comes to making a vision, there is a clear distinction in being able to make
a decision versus a choice.
So what's the difference between a decision and a choice?
Well, a decision gets rid of any other avenue. There's no wiggle room. There's no out.
So if you say that you're going to buy a car, well, you're not gonna you're not gonna buy a motorcycle.
(03:17):
You're going to to buy a car.
It cuts off any other mode of transportation because you're in and you're committed to buying that car.
Or if you're going to say, I'm going to go skydiving, I'm going to jump out of a plane.
Once you leave that aircraft, there's no going back.
There there's no wiggle room out of it.
When you have a choice, that's where you give yourself an illusion of a decision, but you know there's fallback plans.
(03:45):
So in case it doesn't work out, well then I'll just do this.
Well then I'll just do the next thing.
Well then I'll just do the next best thing.
And those are all choices. Those aren't decisions.
And oftentimes, no decision is a decision, and time will make a decision for you.
And studies have found that successful people make quick and firm decisions.
(04:07):
They're decisive because hesitation kills your momentum.
When you're indecisive, that leads to self doubt, wasted time, and lost opportunities.
I want you to think for a second how many times you lost an opportunity because you didn't decide
quick enough to do something.
How much time did you actually waste thinking about doing something before you actually did it?
(04:30):
And then as you're thinking about doing the things that you're doing, you come up with all these
other options and all these other things on why you can't do the thing that you say you're trying to do.
If you just decide right up front, I'm going to do this, cut off every other avenue of approach,
I am going to do this, I got no other way, I must get this done, you're going to be more successful.
(04:53):
And when we're decisive in our decision making when it comes towards our vision, every step
towards your goal requires you to make a choice.
It requires you to make a decision.
And the faster you make that decision, the faster you turn your idea into an action.
At the end of the day, our vision gets us into action to get us the things that we're trying
(05:15):
to get after or do, whether it's building a fortune 500 company or buying a house or having,
you know, going to college or getting a degree.
Every vision has to have an action that goes along with it.
And so I wanna offer up a couple Staton that we can use to be able to make better decisions. Right?
(05:38):
So you gotta set your clear criteria.
If a decision aligns with your vision and values, say, yep.
I'm going to do this.
And I'm reminded of an interview that we did last year with, Katya.
And she was talking about how she makes decisions based on alignment with her goals and her vision.
(05:59):
When I called her and said, hey.
This is what I'm doing for the show.
I would like to interview you.
I like, your your topic.
Can do you mind coming and sharing with it?
My goal is to build better leaders in the world, and I think you have a lot to offer, and I
would like to share that with people who listen to the show.
She instantly said yes because it was in alignment with her business and what she does, which
(06:22):
is builds building better female entrepreneurs.
So it was in alignment.
So she didn't have to think about, well, is this a good choice for me?
Is this a good fit for me?
She goes, is it in alignment with what I'm doing? The answer is yes.
If the alignment is not with what I'm doing, the answer is no.
Really simple to make that decision.
It's because they already set a clear set criteria of if it is in alignment, the answer is yes.
(06:45):
If it's not, it's no.
Then you can also use the five second rule.
Before you even talk or give an answer, count to five backwards.
So five, four, three, two, one, and then decide.
If you overthink it, it's going to stall your progress.
And I have fallen victim to this all the time of, well, well, maybe it could be this or maybe
(07:06):
it could be that, when really, it just needed it needed a more quicker answer.
And sometimes I've lost opportunities because I took too long to respond back.
You also need to limit your options. Right?
Because when we think that we're making a decision, we're really giving ourselves choices.
And we talked about that just a few seconds ago. Limit your options.
If you have too many choices, then you come up to create you come up to, like, choice paralysis.
(07:31):
You need to be able to simplify your choices and simplify your path.
How many times have you gone up to a restaurant and, you know, you look at the menu and there's
like a thousand and one things at the menu, and you're like, I have no idea what I wanna order.
There's just so much to choose from, so much to look at.
And if you're like me, you look through the whole menu and then you just order what you're used
(07:54):
to ordering because you know that's good, and you don't want to try anything else because you're
like, well, if I try something else, I'm gonna get disappointed because there's too many options.
You need to simplify your choices.
Some of the best restaurants out there and the best quick serve and fast food restaurants have
the fewest options because you go up there.
If I go to a burger joint, Five Guys is a great example of this.
(08:16):
If you go to Five Guys, you could only get a couple of things, fries and burgers in a couple
of different sizes of types of burgers, and that's it.
You're not getting anything else.
So it's like, oh, I came here because I want a burger, and I want a cheeseburger, and I want some fries and drink. Cool.
A hundred bucks, you're out the door, and you got what you want.
They help to limit your paralysis of decision making, and then they can cook the burgers and
(08:38):
give you a bigger time.
But that the same is true when it comes up to your vision and how you make visions for yourself.
Limit your limit your options.
Be decisive and keep your path simple.
So if you can, think of one decision that you've been avoiding, and then commit to make that decision today. Go, You know what?
(08:59):
I am I've been holding this off.
I'm gonna make this decision today.
Let me know what that decision was and how long you were, you know, holding off on making it,
and and how it turned out.
I'm really interested in that.
So in this next segment, we're gonna be talking about our second principle, which is persistence and achieving your vision.
So there is no substitute for persistence, and I've talked about the difference between motivation
(09:22):
and discipline before, and persistence goes in with discipline.
You have to be able to stick to it.
You have to have that grit. Right?
And no major success happens without setbacks. You're going to fail. It's just inevitable.
No matter how many times you try at something, you're gonna make mistakes, you're gonna fail,
and you're gonna fall down, and you're gonna get back up.
(09:43):
But it's how quickly that you can overcome that and get not discouraged from what you're going to achieve.
I I'm reminded of Jerry Falwell.
He would always say that your level of greatness is determined by what discourages you the most.
And that really resonates with me because if you get discouraged and you lose your persistence
(10:05):
to move forward, then you're not gonna be successful.
You're going to let the obstacle win.
But if you keep going, you're gonna overcome the obstacles, and you're starting from a better
place than you did before.
Even when Henry Ford said, Well, if you fail, you get a chance to start over again, but start
over again with the perspective of better knowledge than when you had started before.
(10:26):
So you're incrementally inching forward towards the end zone, towards the goal, towards your vision.
And when we think about persistence, I want you to think about four key assets to it.
I want you to think about what is your clear purpose.
You have to know why you're doing what you're doing.
You need to have a definite plan.
Even a rough plan beats no plan at all. Block out negativity.
(10:49):
You need to be able to ignore naysayers, people who are gonna tell you, you can't do this, this
is gonna take too much time, you're never gonna be successful, you're never gonna do this, you lack this. You don't have this. You don't have that.
Whatever that is, block out that negativity. Block out those naysayers.
And then you need to have a support system.
Surround yourself with like minded people who are going to support you and your vision, your
(11:12):
goals to help you all succeed forward, to help you all get to where you're going successfully.
So when we talk about persistence, we talk about those four key areas, but how do we actually
get into the practice of building persistence?
Well, I would offer up that you need to break your vision into smaller steps. Focus on daily progress.
You've probably heard me say this before and I'm gonna say it again and again.
(11:34):
If you're not doing three things every day that build to your weekly three goals to build to
your weekly to build to your three monthly goals, that build to your three quarterly goals,
which then build to your three yearly goals, you're never gonna get those incremental steps
in, and you're never going to see that success because you're not inching forward.
So break your vision down into smaller steps.
(11:56):
You need to find accountability partners.
Who is gonna check-in on you and help you stay committed to your goals?
If you say, hey, you know, my goal and my vision is to be more fit and more healthy by next
year, who are you sharing that with?
And so they can tell you, hey.
You know, I saw you at the McDonald's the other day, or I saw you at this other place the other day.
(12:17):
You said you wanted to lose weight.
I'm not here to to bash you, but I'm trying to help you out. Hey.
Or you said you wanted to get this thing done and start your business off of off of the ground.
Did you file for your LLC yet?
Did you file for that certification?
Did you file for that permit? Hey.
You said that you wanted to get this degree.
Did you enroll in school yet?
Did you take this test that helps you get into school?
(12:39):
It's not to be called out on the things that you're not doing, but it's to raise awareness to
the things that you're not doing because you lack the discipline to do it and the motivation to do it.
Those people help get you there by having your accountability partner.
And I'll be honest, a lot of people don't want accountability because it's hard.
It's hard to hear about yourself from other people.
(13:00):
And then the last thing that we need to do is we need to revisit your why daily.
Motivation will fade, but your commitment and your discipline is what lasts and keep you going.
And and I'm reminded of JK Rowling when it comes to the Harry Potter series.
You know, she was rejected 12 Tim, and she kept going.
(13:21):
And eventually, she she broke through, and now it's a billion dollar franchise.
Could you imagine what the world would be today if that author gave up and said, you know what? It's too hard.
I'm just not gonna be persistent enough to get through it.
She would have lost out on a billion dollar franchise.
So it could get discouraging, but just know that that day is gonna come where you're gonna break through.
(13:43):
And if you could, think of a time where you quit too Staton, and then think about what happened
and what was the outcome, and then think about what you could have done if you had pushed through
it, and what would that outcome could have been.
The you know, so just pick one and think about it, and and have that kind of sting a little
bit as you apply that to your current vision.
(14:05):
Because now you're relying upon a past, previous a past or a previous experience that you said
you were gonna do something, and then you just didn't do it, and somebody else succeeded Staton
that could have been you.
That could have been you succeeding at it, but because you quit a little bit too early, because
you didn't push through, you you missed out.
Think about that in your current situation today as you think about persistence.
(14:29):
But how does decision and persistence work together?
Well, decision gets you started. Decision gets you moving.
Persistence keeps you going through it even when the times get hard, even when you feel the doubt creep in. Right?
And so think about all the other great role models out there that show us how decisiveness and
(14:52):
persistence go hand in hand.
So Steve Steve Jobs at Apple. Right?
They made bold decisions about the iPhone, failed numerous times to make it work, then finally got it to work.
The redesign of the MacBook failed miserably several times, but then all of a sudden it became a huge product.
And because they persisted through the failures, learning from each setback, you know, they've
(15:14):
able to be the different brand of the technology world, of the home computing, of the the thinkers
and the creativity people in the world.
When you think about Apple, you think about, oh, this is the creative type.
When you think about PC, oh, that's the business type.
And that's because they've pushed through their persistence and the boundaries.
So when we take a personal reflection on this, think about something on a decision that you need to make.
(15:38):
We already talked about you, about how we were making a decision that we were putting off. Think about that.
What is a decision that you need to make?
And then where do you need to apply more persistence in your life to keep it going?
And and what are those principles of persistence that you need to apply that maybe you just
didn't think about that could help you push through it.
So I'm gonna end with this in mind.
(16:00):
I wanna end with this. Decision moves you forward.
Persistence keeps you in the game.
Success is built on bold choices and relentless effort.
Your vision won't achieve itself.
It needs you to make decisions and for you to refuse to quit.
So in the next episode, we're gonna be talking about what the mastermind group is and why we
(16:23):
need to surround ourselves with people who can help us or break us in success.
If you feel like sharing a decisive and persistent story that was a great win, tag us in in
in your post of Tim Day in the Obvious to talk about that, or go to any of our, social media
websites and tag us there.
As always, thank you for stopping by and checking out this episode and listening to it.
(16:45):
I really hope that you enjoyed it.
Before we go, I'd like to ask a favor of you if I could.
If you could please share this episode with one or two people who you think might like this topic.
If you haven't followed or subscribed on the platform that you're listening to and hit all the
bells and icons and all the whistles so that you know that when we post another episode, you'll be alerted.
Please go ahead and do all that before you go.
(17:06):
If you got some value out of this episode, please leave a review or a comment so we can help
spread the show to other people who might be interested in the topics that we've talked about
here today but may not have found our show yet.
Again, thanks for stopping by. I'm Tim Stainton. Daily Obvious.
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