After weeks of trying to score a vaccine, yesterday, I received the J&J vaccine.
I can’t tell you how many times I tried to book an appointment for the Covid-19 vaccine. But I know it was a lot.
I hopped from CVS to Walgreens and then over to Sam’s Club and Winn-Dixie.
I tried at midnight and then at four in the morning.
I tried hitting refresh over and over again.
I joined a Facebook group of Vaccine Angels (volunteers who book vaccines for those unable to do so themselves) and followed their advice.
I was at my computer by 7:00 AM on Wednesday and Friday mornings and opened up enough tabs to fill up my laptop.
And just as I was about to give up, a miracle happened.
I was online in the “waiting room” on the Publix website, a local supermarket, and just like that the gate opened.
I was invited to select an appointment at one of their pharmacies.
I took whatever slot was available and wound up booking an appointment over two hours away.
I was this close to giving up. If I had, I’d probably be waiting a very long time before I was vaccinated.
I see the same thing happen in business.
How close are you to achieving a particular goal when you decide to give up?
Maybe you’ve got the right strategy in place, yet the timeline is a little off. You decide to pull up stakes and go in a different direction, just shy of seeing your strategy take hold.
Or perhaps you’re about to get a promotion, and just before that occurs, you decide to make a lateral move to another company.
Or you have a line on a job that you’re super interested in. You reach out once, maybe twice, and then you give up. The job goes to someone who was more diligent than you.
We’re so used to instant gratification that we forget that it takes time for things to happen.
Instant success is a myth.
The actors and actresses that appear to be overnight successes aren’t. You may see them in an old toothpaste commercial or an advertisement for personal care items like deodorant if you look closely.
Walt Disney had been fired by a newspaper editor before because he “lacked imagination and had no good ideas.” If he gave up imagining and dreaming about big ideas, he wouldn’t have found the successful Disney business.
If you give up now, you’re giving up the very bright future and great results you will get.
Here are four things to do when you feel like giving up.
- Remind yourself why you wanted to do something in the first place. I wanted to be vaccinated so that I could safely visit my young adult children. Somewhere along the way, I lost sight of my true why. I got so frustrated with the process that I was ready to give up.
Going back to the beginning brings into focus the purpose of your endeavor. Remind yourself why you established a particular goal. If it’s still important to you, then continue to persevere.
2. Visualize in your mind the ultimate result. Keep in your mind the end result of what you’re trying to achieve. If need be, put up an image of what you’re going after so that you see this every day when you look up.
3. Create a plan and ask for help if you need it. Setting a goal and actually accomplishing your goal requires that you take action. When I finally got serious about achieving my goal, I recruited a team of people to help me. While in the end, I was the one who booked the appointment, I kept going because I knew my recruits were working hard on my behalf.
4. Celebrate your victories. You’re most likely not going to get straight from point A to point B without a few detours along the way. As you move forward, celebrate your victories.
When you start to think about giving up, remember this.
You may be one step away from achieving your goals and dreams. However, you’ll never know this if you don’t take that step.
Need help staying on course?
Consider joining my new accelerated coaching program, “The Me Project.” Send an email to Roberta@matusonconsulting.com and put “Me Project” in the subject line. I’ll get back to you within 24 hours so together, we can determine if this program is right for you.
