Cody Gene's Blog

Persistence

9/9/2024

One of the biggest roadblocks to achievement is getting in our own way. We often get stuck in loops based on deeply ingrained beliefs. Let's talk about Persistence, the continuous effort to achieve a goal despite obstacles, challenges, or failures.

As limiting Beliefs are mental constructs shaped by past experiences, our culture, or upbringing. Imagine filters through which we interpret our reality, some of these are constructive, and some are detrimental to progress. Persistence involves sticking with a goal even when things become difficult and progress is slow. In the context of limiting beliefs and self-improvement, persistence is about repeatedly confronting those limiting thoughts by showing up every day, doing the work, and pushing forward despite obstacles. It's the idea of the daily grind, It's not always easy to get motivated, but this approach trains one to push through resistance, over time.

Building resilience

Let's Imagine that resilience is a skill that can be trained through persistence. How important is it to see a project through to completion? There's no right answer, every situation is different but most setbacks/challenges can be overcome with effort, and making this effort can be the hardest part. If it was easy then everyone would do it, and if everyone was successful, then everyone would be average and there'd be no motivation to do it in the first place.

Through persistence, you'll learn to develop your mental and emotional strength to endure challenges. Every time you face and overcome a setback, you become more resilient to future obstacles.

There's a certain measure of strength in persistence because it forces you to confront uncomfortable feelings like frustration, fear, or disappointment. Learning to push through these emotions rather than avoiding them allows you to understand their root cause. You strengthen your emotional resilience through practicing persistence. Over time, setbacks will feel less overwhelming, and you become more confident in your ability to work through them.

Persistence trains your brain to create new mental patterns that promote resilience. The more you work through your challenges and practice persisting, the more you reinforce neural pathways associated with perseverance, optimism, and problem-solving. This effectively rewires your brain to respond to challenges with a healthy mindset, rather than giving in to self-doubt.

Self-efficacy is the belief in your ability to succeed. This is a core component of resilience. Persistence helps develop self-efficacy by providing you with repeated opportunities to achieve small wins, we've talked about this before. It's important to appreciate the little wins since it's akin to re-programming your mind to believe success is possible. Gradually, as you persist and achieve goals, you reinforce the belief that you are capable of handling difficulties, further increasing your resilience and your ability to persist through difficulties you encounter.

One of the most important aspects of resilience is the ability to learn from setbacks and adapt. Persistence teaches these lessons. Each time you persist and overcome a problem, you gain valuable experience that makes you better equipped to handle future challenges.

Imagine you're training for a marathon and have never run long distances before. Initially, you may feel exhausted, experience physical discomfort, and face self-doubt, “I’m not a runner”. However, by persisting with a training regimen, maybe doing a bit of research or seeking advice from someone with experience to discover the optimal approach, and showing up every day to put in the effort, you'll notice that, gradually, your endurance increases. As you continue, resilience to physical and mental fatigue strengthens. Each run builds your capacity to handle discomfort, helping you bounce back from setbacks like muscle soreness or missed training sessions. you might even find that you begin to enjoy the experience, finding motivation in the feeling of knowing your persistence is the key factor in your completion of the marathon.

Breaking through self-imposed barriers

Many limiting beliefs are deeply ingrained, and it takes repeated efforts to break through them. Persistence allows you to challenge and replace these beliefs over time. The first step to overcoming is understanding. Acknowledge that there may potentially be a mental block that is causing the tension. Consider the idea of, as when practicing an instrument when learning a new piece of music or a new riff, going slow to go fast. there are several mindfulness practices to help bring awareness to mental-blockages via sensing and intuition. These practices help bring one's awareness to the 'center, or present moment' which allows for the processing of feelings not otherwise recognized by the conscious mind. This can be a discussion for another day, but here is a quick introduction.

Scan your body to Notice the tension in your shoulders, a clenched jaw, or a tight chest. Physical sensations like rapid heartbeat, shallow breathing, or feeling hot can indicate emotions such as fear or frustration. Physical Discomfort can be a sign of psychological stress. The two work together. It is possible to learn how to look for signs in the body that reveal limitations in the mind/emotions. Sounds woo-woo, but these two are indeed connected.

Pause and breathe: if you notice a physical reaction, pause and take a few deep breaths. This can help you tune into the emotion/discomfort and allow space for reflection. This process of reflection often leads to an intuitive solution. Persistence doesn't mean rushing through or doing things quickly. Think of it as consistency and confidently approaching things in a meaningful and healthy way.

Mindfulness: Mindfulness meditation trains you to be more aware of your thoughts and emotions as they arise, without judgment. Over time, this enhances your ability to recognize uncomfortable feelings when they occur. The process of meditation can be done anywhere at any time, it doesn't require any specific posture or a special type of candle. Simply take a moment to still (feel) the body, quiet the monkey-brain and if a thought comes let it flow to you and through you, leaving a sense of calm clarity at the end of the experience. The whole thing can take anywhere from 2 minutes to a half hour. It's simply a thing you can do to de-stress.

Acknowledge emotions by giving them a name. To work through something, it's important to first acknowledge that it exists in the first place. If, for example, you’re experiencing frustration, fear, or disappointment, labeling the emotion helps to bring awareness to it, making it easier to manage. As an exercise, try using specific language: Instead of 'This sucks', try to label the feeling precisely— "I’m feeling frustrated because this task isn’t going as planned" or "I’m disappointed because I didn’t meet my goal." This specific type of language helps to bring clarity to the cause of the discomfort. It opens the door for constructive questions like:

"since I'm disappointed because I didn't meet my goal, why did i not meet my goal?"

"Were my expectations not in alignment with my ability to achieve them?"

"What was the point where I felt the most resistance?"

"Is there a way that I can adapt my workflow or change what I am doing in order to achieve a better result?

Often, we label everything as “stress,” but a range of emotions can cause stress. Learning to differentiate between frustration, fear, sadness, or even overwhelm can help you understand what’s really going on. Journaling is a great way to explore and process the complexities of your inner self. Writing things down helps clarify thoughts and emotions, allowing you to see patterns or recurring triggers for uncomfortable feelings. The act of writing is a process of 'arguing' with yourself. It reveals these deeply-ingrained inconsistencies in our thought patterns. Yes, this is a part of human nature, we all have them. The key difference between someone with a healthy mindset and the ability to persist is having an effective approach to dealing with them

if you notice an emotional reaction, take notice and once you calm down, take a moment to ask yourself reflective questions rather than making a snap-judgments. The snap judgments are what, if left unchecked, become deeply ingrained limiting beliefs. Processing your emotional triggers rationally will help you better understand the source and nature of your feelings, which in turn helps you unpack the emotion and get to its root cause.

"What am I feeling right now?"

"What triggered this feeling?"

"What is this emotion trying to tell me?"

"Am I reacting to the present moment, or is this tied to a past experience?"

"How is this emotion affecting my thoughts and behavior?"

Asking questions encourages a deeper understanding of how we process emotion. Rather than suppressing, ignoring, or reacting impulsively, seek to understand their nature. One method to recognize the context in which emotions arise is called the "HALT method". This is a tool for recognizing the physical context under which emotions arise. It reminds you to check whether your uncomfortable feelings are tied to basic states, being:

Hungry
Angry
Lonely
Tired

These states can heighten emotional responses and make us more reactive. Checking in with yourself using HALT can help you understand whether you need to address a physical or emotional need before reacting.

Uncomfortable emotions often follow specific patterns or are triggered by particular situations. By recognizing these triggers, you can become more attuned to the emotions that arise from them. Is there a specific situation, task, or person that consistently brings up feelings of frustration, fear, or disappointment? As we talked about awareness before, recognizing the patterns that trigger these responses allows you to prepare for and manage your emotions more effectively while building up resilience and training the ability to persist through nearly any challenge.

One of the biggest obstacles to recognizing uncomfortable feelings is reacting too quickly. Slowing down allows you to process the emotion rather than reacting impulsively. Before reacting to an emotion, take a few moments to pause and reflect. Even a few seconds of deliberate breathing can make a difference in how you process the emotion. Have you ever heard when a parent asks his/her child to stop and count to ten? This simple act works well when you feel an emotion bubbling up, like frustration or anger. Counting to ten gives your brain a chance to catch up with your body and recognize what you’re feeling before you act on it.

Developing mastery

Skills and personal growth take time to develop. For example, overcoming the belief that "I'm not good at public speaking" requires consistent practice and incremental improvement. A fear of failure can cause one to give up before even trying. Don't be afraid to make mistakes, no one will judge you for trying, and even if they do, so what? Its persistence allows for gradual growth. This is a key to developing mastery over anything in life that's worth doing. Have you ever paid attention to a project that is wildly successful? It likely didn't happen overnight (even if it appears that way). No, behind the scenes there was an incredible amount of development, personal growth, and of course mistakes which were persisted through and overcome.

Reinforcing self-discipline

Continuously working toward a goal, despite frustration or slow progress, reinforces habits of discipline, which are essential for long-term self-improvement. Self-discipline is the ability to control one’s emotions, behaviors, and desires in the face of temptation and impulse, and it plays an important role in achieving long-term goals. Developing self-discipline requires ongoing practice and reinforcement, as it helps you stay consistent and focused even when motivation wanes.

Intrinsic motivation is akin to your internal reasoning for your goals (e.g., personal growth, health, or self-fulfillment) rather than external rewards (e.g., money or social validation). Intrinsic motivation provides a deeper sense of satisfaction and helps maintain discipline when external rewards are absent. Think of this as the reason you get out of bed in the morning. It's easier not to sleep in if you have something you're excited to do, and it’s easier to get excited to do the thing if you are doing it for internally sourced reasons. An excellent exercise to bring clarity to this type of motivation is to take an evening to write it down from the perspective of your core values and long-term vision. It acts as a guidepost when distractions or temptations arise.

if a task takes less than two minutes, do it immediately. This helps build discipline by tackling small tasks that might otherwise be procrastinated on.

Self-discipline often involves postponing short-term pleasure for long-term gain. Developing the ability to delay gratification strengthens your willpower and ability to stay focused on bigger goals. Reward yourself for completing milestones but delay immediate pleasures until after the deep work is done. For instance, if you enjoy consuming YouTube videos, only allow yourself to do so after completing your task.

Visualize the benefits of long-term success and the consequences of giving in to short-term impulses. This mental exercise reinforces your commitment to the goal, making it easier to delay gratification.

Identify things that distract you from getting your tasks done and take steps to remove or limit your access to them. For example, use website blockers or unplug the wifi router during productive time. The idea here is to remove the temptation to allow for more focus.

Set up your surroundings to support your goals. If you want to read more, keep books easily accessible; if you want to exercise, prepare your workout clothes the night before.

Keep a notebook to track habits and record daily efforts. Seeing your progress reinforces the sense of accomplishment and keeps you motivated. Remember, the tiny steps may seem insignificant in the moment, but they add up over time. Logging your progress gives you something to look back upon, seeing how much you've actually achieved.

Regularly evaluate how you’re doing in relation to your goals. Weekly or monthly reviews help you identify areas where you need to improve your discipline and adjust accordingly. I like to write a journal page monthly. I write down three achievements, three areas where I could improve, and three things I learned from my weaknesses. Next, I'll check in with whether I'm on track toward the long-term vision, and decide which big-picture goals I should focus on for the next month. from there I'll write down a handful of tasks I can do to accomplish these tasks.

If you have someone trustworthy to speak with about your progress, share your goals with a trusted friend, coach, or family member who can check in with you regularly and offer support. Knowing that someone else is watching your progress helps bring accountability, in turn helping you stay disciplined.

Connecting with a group or community of people who share your goals (e.g., fitness groups, writing circles) provides motivation and accountability. Being part of a community makes you more likely to stay disciplined, as you be exposed to the thoughts, stories, discoveries, and lifestyles of others who are working in your same direction.

A big part of developing self-discipline involves saying “no” to distractions, unnecessary commitments, or temptations. Practice saying no to things that don’t align with your goals. For instance, if your goal is to focus on a side project, say no to social engagements that could take away from your working time. Saying no often feels uncomfortable, but it reinforces your commitment to your priorities, reinforcing self-discipline by setting boundaries. If there's something you're on the fence about committing to, try saying no instead.

Self-discipline requires energy, both mentally and physically. Balance self-discipline with rest and recovery to avoid burnout. Incorporate short breaks into your daily routine to prevent fatigue. Regular rest will keep you more productive and disciplined in the long term. Self-discipline is also harder when you’re tired. Take steps to make sure you're getting enough sleep each night. This will help you maintain focus and sharpen your decision-making abilities.

Risks of Over-Persistence

While persistence is often seen as a key factor in achieving long-term success, there are certain risks associated with over-persistence or excessive determination. When persistence crosses the line into stubbornness or obsession, it can lead to negative outcomes, such as burnout, inefficiency, and damage to relationships or well-being. Understanding these risks allows for a more balanced approach, where persistence is applied wisely and flexibly.

Stubbornness

Sticking to a plan that isn’t working can lead to frustration, burnout, and stagnation. Sometimes people continue to persist without reassessing whether their strategy or goal is still aligned with their true needs or values.

Stubbornness is a form of over-persistence when a person refuses to adapt or re-evaluate their approach, even when it’s clear that the current strategy isn’t working. In this case, persistence becomes a liability rather than an asset.

How Stubbornness Develops

Attachment to original plans: People can become attached to their initial ideas, goals, or methods. The emotional investment in being "right" or achieving a particular vision can blind them to more practical or efficient alternatives.

Fear of change: Some individuals fear change or the uncertainty that comes with altering their plans. This fear can lead to a rigid mindset, making them overly persistent in the face of evidence that they should pivot.

Ego and pride: A person may persist in a particular course of action because admitting they need to change could feel like an admission of failure or weakness. This stubbornness can be driven by pride, as they refuse to let go of their original approach.

Negative Consequences of Stubbornness

Wasted time and resources: By continuing with an ineffective strategy, stubbornness wastes time, effort, and resources that could be better utilized elsewhere. For example, an entrepreneur who refuses to change their business model despite poor results may burn through capital and market opportunities.

Limited growth: Stubbornness often limits personal and professional growth because it prevents people from learning new strategies, exploring alternative methods, or learning from the feedback from others.

Damaged relationships: Being overly stubborn can alienate others. Colleagues, friends, family, or mentors may grow frustrated with someone who refuses to listen to advice or consider other perspectives, leading to strained relationships.

How to Mitigate Stubbornness

Adopt a flexible mindset: Flexibility is key to maintaining healthy persistence. This involves being open to new information and approaches, understanding that goals may evolve, and allowing yourself to pivot when needed.

Healthy Non-attachment: Oftentimes, stubbornness arises because one is too close to the project. Actively soliciting feedback from others, especially from those who are not as close to the thing as you are, will offer a new perspective. An outside view can reveal blind spots and help you see when you’re being overly rigid in your persistence. Remember though, that since you're likely emotionally invested in this, the feedback is only useful if you're open to receiving it with an open mind, and this is not always easy.

Iterative Learning (trial and error): Approach goals with a mindset that trial and error is part of the process, that failure doesn't mean you lose the game but instead is an opportunity to improve. Persistence should be balanced with a willingness to adjust based on new information, and to adapt accordingly.

The Sunk cost fallacy

You might persist because you’ve already invested a lot of time, effort, or resources into something, even if it’s no longer serving your growth. This is known as the sunk cost fallacy which keeps you tied to an ineffective strategy.

The sunk cost fallacy refers to the tendency to continue investing in a failing endeavor because of resources already spent, even when it's clear that abandoning the course would be more beneficial. Over-persistence can risk trapping people in something that doesn't work, leading to irrational decisions.

How the Sunk Cost Fallacy Develops

Emotional attachment to past effort: People often feel emotionally invested in their past efforts, especially if they’ve worked hard on something. It’s difficult to abandon a project or goal that requires significant energy.

Desire to avoid admitting failure: Many individuals persist because they don’t want to admit that their investment was in vain. There’s a sense of shame or loss in walking away from something that hasn’t worked out, so they keep going to “save face.”

False hope of future payoff: People often believe that if they just persist a little longer, the situation will turn around. This leads to a cycle of continuing with a failing course of action in the hope that the payoff will eventually justify the costs.

Negative Consequences of the Sunk Cost Fallacy

Escalating costs: By persisting in a failing endeavor, individuals or organizations often throw good money (or time, energy, and resources) after bad. For instance, a company may continue to invest in a failing product, draining financial resources that could have been redirected toward more promising ventures.

Inability to pivot: When people fall into the sunk cost trap, they miss the chance to pivot to a more productive path. Over time, this results in missed opportunities for innovation, growth, and success.

Emotional burnout: Continually persisting in something that isn’t working can lead to frustration, stress, and burnout. People may feel stuck, knowing the endeavor isn’t working but unable to let go due to the amount they’ve already invested.

How to Avoid the Sunk Cost Fallacy

Focus on future potential, not past investment: When deciding whether to continue with a goal or project, base the decision on future potential rather than what you’ve already invested. Ask yourself, “If I were starting fresh, would I still pursue this path?”

Regular reviews: Periodically review your progress and the value of your efforts. Honest assessments help you determine if continuing to invest makes sense or if it’s time to cut your losses. Pick some measurable metrics by which to evaluate the performance of your efforts. In fields such as marketing these are called your Key Performance Indicators, which can help you objectively tell whether your efforts are bearing fruit, or whether a course correction is required.

Be willing to let go: Recognize that abandoning a failing endeavor isn’t necessarily a failure; it’s a strategic decision. Letting go frees up resources and energy to pursue more viable options. As a matter of perspective, there is opportunity in mistakes. Letting go is useful for the future only if the mistakes are learned from.

Missed opportunities for innovation

By being overly focused on persisting with one approach, you may miss out on creative or alternative solutions that could be more effective or fulfilling. There is a concept known as tunnel vision, where you become so focused on one goal or course of action that you overlook other opportunities that might be more beneficial or fulfilling.

How Missed Opportunities Develop

Overcommitment to one path: People often become so committed to a specific goal, job, or strategy that they ignore alternative paths that may arise. This can happen because they believe changing course would be disloyal to their original plan. Here again, is where the idea of healthy non-attachment can prove useful. Imagine okay? you have your goal, it’s the direction you're moving, and it guides your decisions, but you're not emotionally invested in the outcome. Now imagine you're holding onto an expectation that things may not go exactly according to plan every single time. Does this leave your door open to unique opportunities? Does this allow you to grab hold of a new course that presents itself spontaneously?

Fear of the unknown: The familiarity of the current path, even if it’s not working, can lead people to resist exploring other options. The uncertainty of trying something new may feel too risky, so they continue persisting with their current approach.

Lack of awareness of alternatives: When you’re stubbornly persistent, you may not even notice opportunities as they appear. This tunnel vision can prevent you from seeing new and better ways to achieve your goals or even recognizing goals you didn’t know you wanted.

Negative Consequences of Missed Opportunities

Stagnation: By persisting on one path without considering alternatives, people might stagnate in their careers, personal lives, or businesses. For example, an employee might continue working at a job that isn’t fulfilling because they’re persistent in pursuing promotions there, missing the chance to take on a more rewarding opportunity or role elsewhere.

Opportunity cost: The cost of missed opportunities isn’t just about what you lose by continuing with a less effective path; it’s also about what you could have gained by exploring alternatives. Time and resources spent on a less fruitful path are time and resources that could have been invested elsewhere. The challenge here lies in developing the ability to weigh life decisions against personal goals and values, and to action these decisions based on probability of achieving the most desirable outcome.

Limited growth: By failing to recognize or pursue other opportunities, people may limit their potential for growth and development. Sticking rigidly to one path can prevent you from expanding your horizons, learning new skills, or discovering more fulfilling experiences.

How to Avoid Missing Opportunities

Keep an open mind: Even when focused on a goal, remain open to new possibilities. Things don't always go according to plan; in fact they rarely do, but that doesn't mean the outcome isn't meaningful or desirable. Be open to exploring alternatives, even if they seem outside of your original scope. Regularly ask yourself, “What other paths could lead me to my goal—or perhaps a better one?”

Periodically reassess your goals: Life and circumstances change. Periodically reassessing your goals and strategies ensures that you’re not pursuing something simply because you’ve been doing it for a long time. This reflection can help you recognize new opportunities that better align with your evolving values and desires.

Consider the bigger picture: Instead of focusing exclusively on one goal, look at your broader trajectory. If you notice a new opportunity, ask yourself how it may fit into the larger picture of what you want to achieve, rather than being overly fixated on one path. Weigh these new opportunities against your current trajectory asking yourself,

"Does this new opportunity fit into the current picture?"

"how might I need to adapt if I take this on, would I need to re-work what I've already done?"

"how likely is this new opportunity to get me closer to my goal?"

"Would I feel satisfied with the work involved to make it happen?"

Pivoting: Adapting to New Information

Pivoting involves reassessing your approach and making adjustments when it becomes clear that your current strategy isn’t working. This can mean shifting goals, changing tactics, or rethinking your mindset entirely. A pivot is a strategic shift in approach, method, or direction while remaining committed to the core vision, values, and long-term objectives. It involves recognizing that the current path may not be the most effective or sustainable, and adjusting your tactics or focus accordingly.

Adaptation: Pivoting is largely about adapting to new information or changing circumstances. It involves reevaluating your approach and finding a better way to achieve your goal, rather than giving up on the goal itself.

Commitment to the goal: You’re still focused on achieving your original goal, but you change how you get there. For example, you find your brand or product isn’t resonating with your audience, so you might pivot to focus on a different audience more in alignment or adjust your presentation of the product while still aiming to achieve the connection with your current audience.

Flexibility: Pivoting requires flexibility and an openness to evolving your approach. Keep an open mind. Maintain a willingness to experiment with new ideas and methods, rather than being rigidly tied to one specific path. Life is change, and complex systems are... complex. The ability to go with the flow can be the difference between effortless achievement and a perpetual struggle.

Learning from experience: Pivoting often comes from recognizing that something isn’t working as well as it could. The key to remember is to take the lessons learned from failure or inefficiency to heart and use these to refine your strategy as you move forward.

Examples:

Business pivot: A company might shift from a B2C (business-to-consumer) to a B2B (business-to-business) model if they find that businesses are more interested in their product than individual customers.

Personal goal adjustment: A person training for a marathon might discover that running long distances is causing injury. Instead of giving up on fitness altogether, they might pivot to cycling or swimming as a more sustainable way to stay active.

Project re-scoping: A writer might realize that their novel’s original storyline isn’t working, so they pivot by introducing new characters or a different plotline while still aiming to write a book.

Abandonment: Letting Go of the Goal

Abandoning refers to completely giving up on a goal, project, or course of action without the intention to pursue it in any form. It is a final decision to stop putting effort into a particular endeavor because the costs or challenges outweigh the benefits. Abandonment of a goal is never an easy decision, The risks from over-attachment can be costly though. If something isn't working, however, sometimes this is the only course available. Weigh your decision carefully.

Giving up on the goal: When you abandon something, you are no longer committed to achieving that goal or pursuing that path. It’s a conscious decision to stop altogether, without looking for alternative methods to continue.

Cutting losses: Often, abandoning happens when you recognize that an investment of time, energy, or resources no longer makes sense. It’s the realization that continuing would be more harmful or wasteful than quitting.

Final decision: Unlike pivoting, abandoning doesn’t involve tweaking your strategy to achieve the same goal. Instead, it is a complete cessation of effort or interest in the goal itself.

Moving on to something else: After abandoning a goal, you may want to redirect your focus and energy to a completely new objective, rather than trying to achieve the original one differently. All that energy you were putting into your goal or project has to go somewhere. Give yourself something new to keep your mind occupied. If a goal or project is abandoned and replaced with nothing but an empty void, it can lead to unhealthy habits forming in their place.

Examples:

Business closure: A company may abandon a product line or shut down entirely if it becomes clear that the business model is unsustainable or the market no longer supports it.

Letting go of a personal goal: If someone realizes that a particular career path is not what they want anymore—due to a change in interests or values—they might abandon it and pursue a completely different career.

Ending a relationship: If a personal or professional relationship becomes toxic or irreparable, someone might decide to end it altogether, rather than trying to improve or change the dynamics.

TL: DR

Persist When: progress is being made, the goal is still achievable, and the current approach shows promise despite challenges.

Pivot When: the goal is still valuable, but the current method is not working or needs adjustment. Adapt your strategy while staying committed to the overall goal.

Abandon When: the goal is no longer relevant, aligned with your values, or worth the continued investment of time and resources. Let go and focus on new opportunities
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