The Unstoppable Trio:  How Determination, Perseverance and Self-Confidence Make the ‘Impossible’ Possible – Part 2

Perseverance

History is littered with moments of seemingly “impossible” tasks made possible…  undertakings destined to remain beyond the realm of the achievable until they are suddenly accomplished.  Mountains deemed unscalable were eventually summited.  Incurable diseases were eradicated.  Far off places in the solar system were reached.  Societal barriers were shattered.  Unattainable feats of endurance were achieved.  What fuels the human spirit to try to realize such feats and make the impossible possible?  The answer lies in a powerful triumvirate of traits: perseverance, determination, and self-confidence.

These three qualities are the engines that propel us forward. Determination is the unwavering resolve to achieve a goal.  It is the fire that ignites our pursuit.  It is the sheer force of willpower and resolve that says ‘can do!” when everyone else says it can’t be done.  Self-confidence is the belief in one’s own ability to perform.  It is the foundation upon which we march forward, overcoming fear and doubt, to build our success. However, it is tenacity – a dogged stubborn drive — that acts as the relentless force propelling us through setbacks and frustrations until we reach the finish line. It is the fuel that keeps us moving when every fiber of one’s being says “stop!” 

The Power of Persistence: What is Perseverance and Why Does it Matter?

Perseverance, at its core, is the steadfast commitment to keep going even when faced with challenges and obstacles that seem insurmountable. It’s the grit that allows us to pick ourselves up after a fall, the unwavering focus that fuels us through tedious tasks and physical pain, and the mental fortitude that withstands discouragement. Unlike determination, which is a fixed point on the horizon, perseverance recognizes that the path may be filled with detours and roadblocks but pushes on anyway.

Measuring perseverance can be tricky. There’s no single test or metric. It’s a quality best observed through behavior. Someone with high perseverance consistently takes action towards their goals, even after setbacks. They learn from their mistakes, adjust their strategies, and keep pushing forward.  It is an unwavering commitment to the goal, regardless of challenges and naysayers.

This relentlessness is invaluable when tackling any difficult task. Here’s why:

• Perseverance Overcomes Obstacles – The road to achievement is rarely smooth. With perseverance, however, we can view obstacles as temporary hurdles, not insurmountable barriers. We find creative solutions, adapt our approach, and keep moving forward.
• Perseverance Builds Resilience – Every time we persevere through a challenge, we strengthen our mental muscles. We learn that we can handle setbacks, building the confidence to tackle even more difficult challenges in the future.
• Perseverance Unlocks Potential – Often, the things that seem impossible are simply the things that haven’t yet been achieved, i.e, Running a mile in under a minute.  Perseverance allows us to push past perceived limitations and unlock true potential and limitless power.

Cultivating Perseverance:  How to Build the Grit Within

Just like any quality, trait or skill, perseverance can be nurtured and strengthened. Here are some ways to cultivate your inner “grit”.

1. Set SMART Goals.  Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound goals provide a clear roadmap and milestones to celebrate.
2. Focus on Progress, Not Perfection.  The journey towards a goal is filled with wins and losses. Recognize and celebrate progress, no matter how small, and learn from mistakes.
3. Develop a Growth Mindset.  Believe that abilities can be developed through effort and practice. This fuels perseverance even when faced with challenges.
4. Find Inspiration.  Seek out positive influences and stories of people who have overcome obstacles. Their success can be a powerful motivator.
5. Practice Self-Compassion.  Be kind to yourself on the journey.  Acknowledge the difficulty of the task and celebrate victories, both big and small.

How Perseverance Changed the World

History is brimming with examples of individuals who exemplified perseverance in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. Let’s delve into two stories that showcase the transformative power of perseverance.   Here are some inspirational examples that demonstrate how it takes not only determination and self-confidence, but also profound perseverance to achieve great success.

Case in Point 1 – The Perseverance of Mary Kay Ash and Mary Kay Cosmetics – Born Mary Kathlyn Wagner in 1918 in Hot Wells, Texas, Mary Kay Ash is considered a pioneer for women in business.  She built a substantial cosmetics empire that sells billions today.  But her story is one that shows that in addition to determination and self-confidence, she succeeded because she persevered in the face of overwhelming obstacles.

Mary Kay Ash started her career as a salesperson selling books door to door.  Hers is definitely a rags-to-riches story.  During these years, she married and had three children.  After WWII, she and her husband divorced, and she went to work for Stanley Home Products.  She worked hosting parties to encourage people to buy household items.  She was so good at “making the sale” that in 1952 she was lured away by another company, World Gifts.  She worked at World Gifts for a little more than a decade until she quit in 1963 in protest after watching yet another man she had trained not only get promoted above her but also receive a much higher salary than her. 

At that point, Ash was 45 years old and was thinking of retiring.  Instead, she decided to retire and wrote a book intending to assist women in business.  But the book turned into a business plan for her ideal company.  In a male-dominated industry, Mary Kay Ash dreamt of a company empowering women as entrepreneurs. Even though she was rejected by multiple financial institutions for a loan due to her gender and lack of experience, she persevered.  Her vision was to start a small company, holding beauty parties in people’s homes and recruiting women to sell her own line of cosmetics. That summer, Mary Kay Ash and her new husband, George Hallenbeck, were preparing to launch Mary Kay Cosmetics.  But the day before they launched the company, her husband died of a heart attack.  She wasn’t sure if she should trash the whole business idea or somehow continue.  Her 20-year-old son, Richard, offered to move back to Texas to help with her business.  Richard knew nothing about business administration and neither did Mary Kay.  But she was not a quitter.  Despite the tragic loss of her husband and no idea how to run a business, she decided to push on.  One month after George’s passing, her son joined the company.

Without a business loan, she started the business using her life savings of $5,000, which would be equal to about $51,000 in 2024.  She purchased the formulas for skin lotions from the family of a tanner who created the products while he worked on hides. With her son, she opened a 500 SF storefront in Dallas and had nine salespeople working for her.  The basic premise was much like the products she sold earlier in her career. Her cosmetics were sold through at-home parties and other events. A Mary Kay representative would invite her friends over for free facials and then pitched the products.  But Ash strove to make her business different by employing incentive programs and not having sales territories for her representatives. She believed in the golden rule, “treat others as you want to be treated.”  The company turned a profit in its first year.  By the second year, the company sold close to $1 million in products, driven by Ash’s sales acumen and business philosophy. 

Through relentless dedication and a focus on community building, Mary Kay Ash Cosmetics became an international brand, paving the way for women in direct sales.  The company grew exponentially.  Ash and her partners, which included her son Richard, took the company public in 1968. Seventeen years later, in 1985, the Mary Kay Cosmetics board decided to make the company private again.   In 2022, Mary Kay Cosmetics was the sixth largest network marketing company in the world with an overall revenue of $2.7 billion.  Today, there are more than 1.6 million salespeople working for Mary Kay Inc. around the world.  That was a direct result not only of her determination but especially her perseverance when almost anyone else would have likely quit.

Case in Point 2 – Howard Schultz, Starbucks – Howard Schultz, the oldest of three children, grew up living in a Brooklyn federal housing project in the 1950s and 60s. Their building housed about 150 families that all shared one small elevator, and they lived in a cramped two-bedroom unit on the seventh floor. By the time he got to high school, Schultz understood the stigma of living in the projects and knew he had to escape that poverty.

Schultz’s parents never finished high school.  His father worked throughout his life in various blue-collar jobs, including cabbie, truck driver, and factory worker. He often worked two or three jobs at a time just to put food on the table.  But his mother was a strong-willed, powerful woman and her biggest dream was for her three children to get a college education.  Schultz began working at the age of 12, but kept going to school and played football.  His biggest triumph in high school was becoming quarterback of the football team in a school of nearly 6,000 students.  A recruiter from Northern Michigan University offered him a scholarship to play for his school.  Besides the scholarship, Schultz took out loans and worked part time during the school year and full time in the summer to pay for his education. He majored in communications and became the first person in his family to graduate from college.

When he returned to New York, he joined the sales division of Xerox Corp. During his three years there, he learned sales, marketing, and presentation skills. By 1979, he was a successful salesman, but was restless.  He then went to work for Perstorp, a Swedish company, in their Hammarplast housewares subsidiary.  He was quickly promoted up the ranks to vice president and general manager of Hammarplast in charge of all U.S. operations.  There, in 1981, he noticed a company in Seattle called Starbucks Coffee, Tea, and Spice was placing large orders for Hammarplast drip coffeemakers. He wanted to know why this company was outpacing the sale of coffeemakers by large department stores to he went there.

At the time, Starbucks was a 10-year-old retail shop with five stores, 85 employees, a roasting facility, and a wholesaler selling coffee beans to local Seattle merchants. Schultz fell in love with the business and Seattle.  It took him a year but he convinced them to hire him as head of retail sales and marketing.  On a buying trip to Italy for Starbucks, he noticed Italians were passionate about their coffee and their coffee bars. Starbucks was still selling coffee only by the pound.  Schultz envisioned the huge potential for the company to turn its stores into coffee and espresso bars. But the owners did not share his vision and Schultz quit in 1986. 

He wrote a business plan to start his own coffee bar.  He called it Il Giornale, Italian for “the newspaper”.  He approached more than 240 potential investors and all but two declined.  He persisted and eventually raised more than $1 million to open his first coffee bar. According to Schultz, “You have to passionately believe in yourself and in your ideas,” he said. “Too many people with great ideas give up on them too early. You have to persevere and refuse to give up.”

Il Giornale was successful, and Schultz went on to open a second café in Seattle and a third in Vancouver.  In 1987, he bought out the Starbucks partners for $4 million. Il Giornale acquired the Seattle assets of Starbucks Coffee Company and became Starbucks Corp.  He made Starbucks the first U.S. company to offer stock options and comprehensive health insurance to every employee, even part-time workers.  And, in no time, Starbucks became the world’s largest coffee chain.  Schultz himself said “My story is as much one of perseverance and drive as it is of talent and luck.”  Schultz wrote that he still identifies with the persona of the blue-collar athlete whose determination and perseverance more than compensate for his lack of training.  “I’ve always been driven and hungry,” Schultz said.  “Long after others have stopped to rest and recover, I’m still running, chasing after something nobody else could ever see.”

In both of these case studies, we see that determination and perseverance go hand-in-hand when it comes to success.  Having a specific, targeted goal is essential, but so is having the tenacity to keep going when adversity hits.  And adversity always hits.  There does not appear to be a simple, easy path to success in any industry.  Competition.  Market fluctuations.  Labor issues.  Supply chain disruptions.  Poor management.  New inventions and technologies.  And especially self-doubt.  These all stand in the way of success.  In our next Monday Mornings with Madison, we’ll look at the third essential trait needed for success:  Self-Confidence.  Don’t miss it.

Quote of the Week

“Success is not final; failure is not fatal.  It is the courage to continue that counts.” Winston Churchill

© 2024, Keren Peters-Atkinson. All rights reserved.

The post The Unstoppable Trio:  How Determination, Perseverance and Self-Confidence Make the ‘Impossible’ Possible – Part 2 first appeared on Monday Mornings with Madison.