Stairway to Success - PERSISTENCE

This is the third post in the Stairway to Success series.

CLICK HERE to see my thoughts on Ambition, which will then take you to the quote that started it all. 

PERSISTENCE

(n) - the act or quality of being persistent

PERSISTENT

(adj) - refusing to give up or let go; persevering obstinately

Anyone who has ever won at anything will tell you they couldn't have done it without the existence of this word.

Those who end up on the losing end, in most cases, didn't have the endurance to stay the course. 

I could've given up on a number of things a long time ago -specifically, my entrepreneurial dreams - but I chose not to. Continuing to forge ahead isn't about the action itself. It's about making the decision to do so. 

There are two sides of the persistent coin. The good and the bad. We sometimes only focus on the positive connotation of the word. Neglecting to look at the things we should give up. Those which prevent us from taking the next step up the stairs of success. 

Blaming our circumstances, wallowing in self-pity, and nurturing toxic relationships to name a few. For some, these things are constantly in the picture. A staple of one's daily life.

Persistently pulling you in the opposite direction you desire to go.

Going Out Of Business

There's a locally owned coffee shop I would go to at least once a week if it were closer to Headquarters. I've asked the owner on more than one occasion to open a store in my neighborhood. That's how much I enjoy his place. I'd choose it over The Crackhouse on any given day. 

The owner and I collaborated on a project and shared the spotlight for my first ever live tv interview. Something I'll never forget. 

In March 2012, he announced the closing of one of his stores. Publicly. He sent the information out to his blog subscribers (BTW: his blog is sent via newsletter, which isn't anything at all like the typical newsletter). The outpouring of support was unbelievable. That's what happens when business owners take the time to connect with their customers. On an emotional level. 

His latest update landed in my inbox last week. The subject line: Will Kick Butt Close Its Doors?

Thomas always crafts clever headlines to get you to open his stuff and I was praying this was another of those instances. After reading, I realized it wasn't. He shared that although sales at his existing location rose by 20% after closing the other location, Kick Butt Coffee still isn't profitable. 

If you've been following my blog, you know I'm no stranger to financial struggles. Some will criticize Thomas and I for airing our dirty laundry and others will admire our honesty. 

If people don't know what's wrong, they can't do anything to help make things right. When Thomas posted the news on Facebook, feedback and suggestions started flying all over the place. If we, his customers, want his doors to remain open - we have to know what's going on so we can do our part to keep him in business. I started brainstorming last night on ways to make that happen. 

Thomas can't sit around waiting for his caffeinated cohorts to spring into action. He has to do his part. And that he did by calling on his mentor. That's something I still haven't found. The right person - who's accessible  - who not only understands my vision and goals, but has accomplished them his/herself. 

Will Kick Butt be around for another five years? Will I finally get that big media break I've been looking for? 

I'm no fortune teller, but I believe a breakthrough is on the way...for Thomas and I both. I can feel it. 

Click here to read Kick Butt's story.

We Met, We Ate, We Blogged About It

One of the goals I have with social media is to actually meet as many of my online buddies in real life as I possibly can. 

There was the time when I flew to San Francisco and stayed with a total stranger - who I met on twitter. And then the other time when I invited a total stranger to come stay with me - who I met on twitter. And then Shonika came to Austin from D.C. and we got to meet in person after developing a close friendship - yeah, you guessed it - on twitter. 

Last month, Lynn Asummermoon Davis hit me up on Facebook and told me she was coming to town. I was really excited about this one!

Lynn and I have been online buddies since she stumbled across one of my guest posts in 2010 over at The Work at Home Woman. We've been reading each other's blogs, tweeting, and emailing since then. She's one of those kind of people who has the ability to make you smile just by reading her status updates. Always positive. Always encouraging. 

She's doing an awesome job of growing her social media business, A&D Media, which caters to small businesses and non-profit organizations. The fact that she dreams of even bigger things than she's doing now is contagiously inspirational. The few hours we spent together weren't enough. I invited myself to her place in Jersey so we can pick up where we left off here. 

After we consumed more food than we probably should have, we walked away feeling blessed to have had the opportunity to be in each other's presence. 

And did I tell you this was her first time flying?! 

I'm looking forward to our next encounter...on the east coast!

Email Confession: I Want to Remain Anonymous

Hi Donna,

Started a blog a few weeks ago.  I have been unemployed for over 10 months. What sparked the blog is my husband getting laid off.

I did a lot of what you said - looked for blogs about job hunting/unemployment and most of them are shut down (i'm assuming people eventually got a job) - LOL!

Not sure if you have any other advice.  My biggest obstacle is I want to keep anonymous for many reasons-

 1.  Bashing my old job/mgmt

 2.  In case I do get a job/dont want to hinder getting a job.

 Any info would be greatly appreciated.  Thank you for your time!

-JC

*************

thanks for taking the time to reach out to me.

yes - quite a few blogs started by unemployed people who talk about their unemployment journey tend to fizzle out. i'm inclined to believe it's because they continue to write about what they don't have - a job - instead of using it as a way of "writing" themselves into a better future and new opportunities. there's not a stitch of data to support what i said. that's merely my opinion.

what are you wanting to accomplish with your blog? what's your reason for writing?

Hugs & Handshakes,

miss donna

*************

Originally I started to document my fun and ridiculous interview stories but now its growing into situations my husband is in and job search/interviewing/networking tips and thoughts based on my 10 months+ of experience.  Its hard being anonymous because I have a nice Facebook and Linked In following but I know most of those people personally and cant be sending them my blog when I am mentioned former managers, jobs etc.  I started a new Twitter but only have 8 followers.  I am following ANYTHING related to unemployment.  I am also posting on the Rants and Raves section of Craigslist one to two times daily.  Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for your time!
-JC

*************

ok got it.

so now that you've explained why you're writing, what is the outcome you desire? you didn't explain that part.

fill in this blank: By blogging, I want/hope to accomplish ______________________. make sense?!

*************
Help people get jobs, make money, get my thoughts out there?

Totally makes sense.  Hope the above makes sense!  LOL!
-JC

**************

 alrighty then...now we're getting somewhere!

1. help people get jobs - by continuing to blog about the negative aspects of unemployment and bashing your ex-employer, you won't accomplish this. all it does is serve as a constant reminder of your past. you are more than that. you wouldn't have survived in the sales industry all those years had  you not been. you can help people get jobs by sharing your expertise. what lessons do you have to offer someone trying to break into sales? what insider knowledge do you have that would be valuable to someone on the outside? those are the kinds of things people want to read which will help them get ahead.

2. make money - it can be done via blogging, but it takes time. it's pretty much impossible to do if you blog anonymously. having said that - expose yourself. people read blogs because they want to connect with the person behind the blog. we want to know that they're human. you have to be relatable and the only way you can do that is by allowing your readers to get to know you. ads are just one way to monetize. you need multiple income streams. once you establish yourself as an expert, you can then seek out speaking engagements. be bold and creative when it comes to your monetization plan.

3. get your thoughts out there - refocusing on all of the above will allow you to do just that...in a much more constructive way, i might add.
i hope this helps, JC. i appreciate you taking the time to send me a note and for trusting me enough to want to hear my thoughts (see #1). :)

let me know if there's anything else i can do for you and don't be a stranger!

Hugs & Handshakes,

miss donna

*************

Thank you so much for your amazing advice. You are absolutely right. I do need to move on. Unfortunately, I had a really horrible boss who put me down and treated me like garbage. Its hard to come back out of that after dealing with it for over four years. Even before your email, I have started to post more about tips rather than going backwards. I will definitely keep in touch.

THANK YOU AGAIN SO MUCH!!!!
-JC

It's not always an in-and-out situation. Getting to the root of the problem takes two way communication. Listening is critical.
Do you have a question for me? Feel free to send it my way.