Q: My biggest enemy is my lack of staying power to follow through what I want in my personal and professional life. I am the type of person who will pick up something of interest, work on it but give it up or lose all interest halfway. I give you two examples on this. In the first case, I got excited about a staff I thought was good but I soon gave up on him when he could not deliver the results fast enough.
In the second one, I was enthusiastic about a new project but got discouraged when I faced opposition and resistance from others. This weakness is not only affecting me, but also the people who are close to my life, like my family members, close friends and subordinates. What is it about me I need to work on?
A: Two elements that stand in the way of your goal are your impatience and weak mental strength to see things through. You lack the stamina to finish the race and get tired quickly because you run too fast at the beginning instead of moderating your speed to go all the way.
While it is important to be focused, you cannot be overtly so, like some mountain climbers who only focus on the summit and run until their last breath to reach it quickly but soon tire out and then give up.
You therefore need to enjoy the journey – “stop to smell the roses” – as the destination is a small part of the journey itself. So, stay in the present to enjoy every step and every moment while striving towards the goal. Most importantly, learn to be kind to yourself when things do not work out the way you want, and appreciate what you are doing to reach your goal.
POWERFUL QUESTIONS
- How will you know when you have staying power?
- What is causing your lack of staying power?
- When was a time you had staying power?
- What lessons can you draw from here to help you?
Corporate Coach Academy (CCA) has groomed thousands of top executive coaches in Malaysia since 2003. It offers the best leadership coaching programs accredited by ICF and corporate coaching services.