A nuclear bomb unleashes terrible damage. That’s because it releases a massive amount of energy - in an instant.
But this doesn’t happen instantly.
It is the final step in a chain reaction that starts off as a few atoms smashing into each other. The resulting impact multiplies and grows exponentially, until at a certain […]

Continue reading " Critical Mass Takes Time "

Military success is most dependent upon a clear vision of the battlefield. Deploying armies, choosing weapons, drawing up attack plans and other technical details of war will not result in victory unless the leader has a clear understanding of the arena.
Succeeding in any other venture is similar. All other factors pale in significance […]

Continue reading " Leaders See Battlefields "

Persistence is sometimes wrongly interpreted to mean doing the same thing until it works.
But a definition of insanity is to do the same thing, but expect a different outcome!
Persistence is indeed sticking to something until it works. But mindless and non-purposive repetition certainly does not count as being persistent.
When something won’t work, think about […]

Continue reading " Persistence Is Not Repetition "

This is NASA’s mission statement. I imagine it was adopted when President Kennedy placed emphasis upon putting the first man on the Moon.
The persistence mantra applies to other areas too. Your education and career. Your job or business. Your hobby or passion.
Whatever you set out to achieve, if you do it […]

Continue reading " Failure is NOT an option "

Of all the lessons my heroes teach me, it’s that quitters never win.
Who are these heroes?
The families of my little ‘heart kids’. Parents and other relatives who function every day in the face of harsh and heartless odds, aware of the deadly fate that lies in store for their loved child, knowing they can’t […]

Continue reading " Quitters Never Win "

Seth Godin wrote a nice book about persistence. It’s called ‘The Dip’. And it’s about giving up.
Yes.
But doing it at the right time, for the right reason. That isn’t quite intuitive, by the way.
Along the course of any project or endeavour you undertake, there comes a time when things take […]

Continue reading " Beating The Dip "

Most things of value are like marathons rather than short sprints.
But even in a marathon, the fastest runner wins. So both speed and persistence are important.
In the long run, it is important to conserve energy and resources to expend at the right moment, at the right target, in the right amount to maximize your […]

Continue reading " What Matters More - Speed or Persistence? "

We live in a fast-paced world dominated by the overwhelming demand for ‘instant gratification’. In everything.
Fast food and faster cars. Instant riches and overnight success. Warp speed business building and week-end wealth.
Persistence is a casualty of such thinking.
Why stick with something for years when you can take another route to quick results? […]

Continue reading " Persistence Vs. ‘I Want It Now’ "

Definitions do not do justice to the principle.
A dictionary might describe ‘persistence’ as “lasting or enduring tenaciously”. But persistence, as a trait, goes deeper. Far deeper.
It is a frame of mind. A state that you reach after fighting and overcoming internal doubt and turmoil. A conviction that empowers you to look […]

Continue reading " What is Persistence? "

Your purpose matters - to you.
But does it matter to others? Enough others, to get you to where you want to go?
That’s the challenge you’ll face as your purpose evolves and grows. Famous motivation guru Zig Ziglar says:
“You can have everything you want as long as you give enough others everything THEY […]

Continue reading " Getting Others Involved "