Yesterday found me on a mission to achieve the seemingly unachievable.  Faced with a task that seemed impossible, I found the strength and energy to persevere.  Where did it come from I wondered and why was I so determined or as Barack Obama recently said, “resolute”?  I had a project to deliver that I knew I was being counted on to deliver within the constraints provided.  After a grueling 18 hour day, success was granted.  Today as I reflect on the experience, I realize a few lessons that I would like to share with you on your journey to success.

1)      You must possess an unwavering commitment to yourself and to the goals you deem important.  Will you dare accept an 18 hour standoff against your obstacles?   Can anyone relate?  I can.  Right now, I’m thinking about a book project that’s in progress that warrants my focus for completion.  The approach I’ve undertaken is to allow several hours of writing each day.  I believe in the power of structures like calendars.  However, I’ve allowed my saboteur to convince me that I can continue to put it off until the next day in service of other priorities.  Perhaps I need to be fired as the manager of my life? Why is this behavior acceptable? Can you relate? I could likely write an entire book draft in 18 hours.  What could you do in 18 hours if you persevered despite the obstacles?

2)      Consistently raise the bar on yourself and others on your winning team.  A high performing team is not waylaid by obstacles.  They rise to the occasion and come up with solutions built on out of the box thinking.  One wacky idea spurs another.  When “the rubber meets the road”, there is no option but to put fear aside and embrace a possibility that you hadn’t considered.  As I reflected on a speech I gave to a team member about focusing on solutions, I challenged myself to embrace ideas that seem wacky but turn out to be the best solutions.  Food for thought!

3)      Believe the impossible!  When the goal seems impossible, believe anyway and continue plugging away.  I shared an analogy with a colleague recently.  I told him I felt like I had made a $5 bet when I was comfortable with the penny, nickel, or quarter slot machine.  Imagine that!  Your insides don’t feel very good when you make bets like that.  Prayer becomes a savior to rescuing you from what you deem dire consequences for foolishness.   Theodore Roosevelt said “Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.”

4)      There’s more energy where that came from!  After working so hard, we rest and refuel and continue the journey.  It’s like driving a long distance.  I remember being exhausted after driving to Atlanta several years ago.  However, upon reaching Atlanta, I rested and refueled and had to continue on the journey to make the trip back home.  We have a lot more energy than our saboteur says.  Reach deep and embrace that energy that’s an opportunity for greater things.

5)      Every experience creates an opportunity for deeper learning.  My lessons from delivering a project are applicable to how I deliver in my own life.  Today, I claim my role as Project Manager of my life.  A role that I take seriously and one that I am willing to get into my Survivor gear for.  I leave you with the words to the chorus to the Destiny’s Child Song, “Survivor”

I’m a survivor (what),

I’m not gonna give up (what),

I’m not gon’ stop (what),

I’m gonna work harder (what),

I’m a survivor (what),

I’m gonna make it (what),

I will survive (what),

Keep on survivin’ (what),

I’m a survivor (what),

I’m not gonna give up (what),

I’m not gon’ stop (what),

I’m gonna work harder (what),

I’m a survivor (what),

I’m gonna make it (what),

I will survive (what),

Keep on survivin’ (what),