The Monthly Goalpost for August: Press On

“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence.
Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.
Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts.
Persistence and determination are omnipotent. The slogan ‘press on‘ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.”

-Calvin Coolidge

Not bad for someone called Silent Cal. There’s so much in this quote for us to hang on to while we strive to reach our goals— especially “press on.” Yes, Cal! Press on indeed!

When I read this, I thought Huh. Don’t hear much about Calvin Coolidge… guess he didn’t do much. And I had to laugh at that because, um, he became, among other things, President of the United States. This made me realize how easy it is to underestimate things we do, successes (big or small), and steps towards our goals.

Writing off accomplishments, forgetting all that we do to reach our goals is a bad habit. I berate myself that I’m not doing enough. It’s only when I stop and take inventory that I realize what I’ve accomplished in the last days or weeks. This bad habit needed to be replaced with a better habit where I didn’t measure progress daily. In the last two months, I set one concrete, realistic goal. I knew that that one goal would generate many tasks; things that had to be in place to move forward. Every day I worked toward that one goal by doing minor tasks. I’d worry I wasn’t moving fast enough but FINALLY all the little things were done. I pressed on and the moment came when all the loose ends were tied up.

A friend reminded me to stop and feel good about what I’d done. That’s part of correcting the behaviors that undermine accomplishment. How can we feel positive about our work if we don’t take time to acknowledge what we’ve done? Sure, there’s always more to do but when you reach a goal, step back and take it in. It will reinforce all the positive steps you took to get there instead of the negative feelings about not getting where you want to be.

And then, press on!

What have you got planned for August? Comment here or if you’re part of the private Sub It Club Facebook group, tells us how you’re doing over there. If you’d like to join our Facebook group, send a request.