Success: Sometimes We Quit Too Soon

“The dictionary is the only place that success comes before work.” – Anonymous

It is real easy to get sucked into an overnight success story. But what you don’t read right away is that it took that person a lot of years and a lot of hard work to get to that place. We live in what I call the McDonald’s Society. We want it quick, easy, and good. However, what happens is that we become very impatient with our quest for success and we give up way too soon.

Let me give you an example. In an effort to get healthier and gain muscular strength, I joined a local Pilates Performer club. OMG! Talk about a workout, but I absolutely love it. The whole premise behind the class is doing the exercises very, very slowly to get the maximum results. My instructor, Jessica, who is just a sweetheart and excellent teacher, favorite words are ‘Creep it, creep it. Tell those stomach muscles to do their job and don’t quit.’ Now I know you have an 8” x10” glossy mental picture of me sweating, straining, and trembling to keep going and not give up. Believe me, in the early learning stages it’s not a pretty picture, but I persevere.

Whether it is in Pilates or in life, intentionality is very important to your success. The intention behind going slow is that you concentrate on doing the exercise the right way to get the maximum results out of your efforts. In addition, you also find out what actions work and what actions don’t work for you, hence you reach your goals faster.

Who would have thought that a success lesson would come from a Pilates class? Every time the instructor says those words ‘don’t quit’ it reminds me of how many times I have become impatient or given up because I wanted results right now. Whether it is in your business or your life, the same principles apply. In order to reach your goals, you must remember three things: patience, consistency, and commitment.

PATIENCE – Since patience has never been one of my strong suits, this is one that I continue to work on. The thing that you have to remember is that you didn’t get that way overnight and you’re not going to change it over night. Stay the course.

CONSISTENCY – Whether it is a personal or a professional goal, you can’t just do something once and expect it to magically transform you. You’ve got to keep working those muscles, whether it is a mental confidence muscle or a stomach muscle.

COMMITMENT – The right mindset is everything. The key to success is to keep your vision of what you want in front of you at all times. It must be your goal, not something you think you should do because everybody else is doing it.

Success comes to those who are willing to work for it, however long it takes. If it is worth having, it’s worth working for.

Cookie Tuminello is an unconventional, take charge, savvy and successful leadership and team building coach. She is the CEO of Success Source LLC, which she founded in 1999. For more information on Cookie and her programs visit www.CookieTuminello.com.