Just Keep Swimming

Just Keep Swimming

There are dozens, if not hundreds of popular quotes that encourage us to persevere. To show persistence and tenacity. Whether you want to go old school –

When the going gets tough, the tough get going. (Joseph P. Kennedy)

If at first you don’t succeed, try try again. (Thomas H. Palmer)

What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters to what lies within us. (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

 

or more modern, cinematic, pop-culture type references –

Just keep swimming. (Dory – from Disney’s Finding Nemo)

Try not. Do or do not. There is no try. (Yoda – from Empire Strikes Back)

the message is simple — Do Not Give Up.

Perseverance

In a previous blog post I wrote about Grit – the combination of passion and persistence. And since that blog post, I have given much thought about the concept of grit. What is it and how can we foster it and make it grow?

While passion will be saved for a future discussion, the focus here will be on persistence, perseverance, the “keep at it” needed to overcome obstacles, frustrations, and challenges.

I heard a great podcast from NPR’s Hidden Brain program a few days ago on grit. In that episode (found on iTunes), Dr. Angela Duckworth talked about perseverance and the ways we can create the drive needed to overcome challenges.

Many of us know that the path of life is riddled with obstacles. Issues that seemingly pop up unexpectedly out of no where. And while I have often talked about the need to push through obstacles to reach your eventuality, I have also wrote about listening to the wind, to your body, as it will tell you if you are on the right path or not. So how do you know if you should persevere or if you should alter course?

Be The Captain of Your Ship

If you did in fact ask that question, I would say, “Great question! It is a tough question, but a great one!”

The answer – as you could well imagine – lies within you. It is a question I cannot answer for you. That said, as a psychologist, I often find myself helping others find the answer for themselves.

The first thing you have to do is to realize that you are the captain of your own ship. No one can tell you if you can or cannot do anything. Sure, they can suggest that you are not yet at your destination, but they cannot predict whether you will arrive in the future or not.

This is a message coaches often share with their players. Sure, the coach can tell if you have the talent or skill right now, but they often fall short when trying to predict whether a player will eventually gain or master a skill in the future. That eventuality lies within the player.

The same is true in education or your career path. None but you can prevent your goals from being achieved. Which leads us to the second point, make sure you are headed where you really want to go.

I talk to many who say that they want to be in This career or That career, yet when we discuss the steps needed to achieve that goal, they are not committed. These goals are often set, not because of an intrinsic drive toward that career, but because of some external motivation, be it peer pressure, status, or financial. Most physicians do not become physicians for the money, they do so because they want to help people or because they love the science behind medicine. That is the drive, the financial aspect is secondary.

Finally, once you have put on your captain’s hat and righted your ship in the direction you wish to head, you must read the signs. Ok, I know that there are no road signs in the ocean, but hopefully you get my point.

On any voyage there are unexpected factors. Be it traffic jams, construction, or organic chemistry (that will make more sense in a moment), there will always be something that pops up out of no where, leaving you with a decision.

Returning to the physician reference, a large number of high school seniors and college freshmen identify themselves as “pre-med” students. Basically, that means they are going to take all of the math and science classes they can with hopes of passing the MCAT and getting into medical school.

For many, this changes in a college junior level course known as organic chemistry. Know to many as the “weeder” course, organic chemistry is where true medical students separate from those who would not otherwise make it. For those who struggle in this course, there is a choice — do I push on, take the class again, get a tutor, and see what happens the second time? Or do I shift course and instead of heading toward medical school, I learn about other nearby professions, such as nursing, physicians assistants, or midwifery? All of which are sound medical professions, though do not require medical school specifically.

Some would call making such a switch  “giving up.” But I wholeheartedly disagree. The goal – to work in the medical field – is much broader than specifically becoming a physician. There are multiple ways one can work in the medical field, only one of which involves medical school.

So did the goal change? I don’t think so! It shifted course a little, but did not change. And that is the lesson we must learn. We must understand that when we “listen to the wind” and read what our body and experience tells us, we may need to make adjustments and modifications to our goals. We do not need to abandon them.

Sticking with it – if it is truly a goal you hope to reach and even if you have to apply come modifications – is the essence of perseverance, the grit you will need to accomplish what you set out to accomplish.

It is not easy. In fact, some say it is rarely easy. Dr. Duckworth speaks about deliberate practice and the fact that it is not always enjoyable. Few athletes enjoy running suicides, but they know that doing so builds strength, speed, and endurance. So when you keep with it, even through the choppy seas, you will come through on the other side exactly where you were meant to be.