Power of Perseverance

This week has proven to be one of the largest pivotal moments of my life.

This article is a personal story of myself and how I have endured life, challenges and hard decisions over the last fifteen months. I wanted to share this with you to show the power of perseverance, staying true to who you are, what you believe in, showing up and not giving up when life decides to throw you a few curveballs.

So what do I mean by Perseverance and how is this powerful?

per·se·ver·ance

/ˌpərsəˈvirəns/‍

noun‍

persistence in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success.

As you can see, this definition sums it quite nicely. Perseverance was at the forefront of my every move and let me rewind to explain why.

Fifteen months ago I left South Africa, my home, to embark on a new journey and relocate to Vancouver, BC Canada. This was by far the hardest decision and the most difficult thing I have had to make in my life. I knew that leaving my family and friends behind to pursue a new lifestyle and growth opportunities would be tough but I persevered anyway.

Shortly after I landed in Canada, exactly two weeks later I decided to apply for a job to immerse myself into the Canadian market. After applying through recruiters and online applications I had no luck or response, before just giving up I decided I wanted to work at an Agency because I enjoy the more “casual culture” and way of working I started emailing agencies directly with pitch style email and very quickly I got a few responses. The one I decided to go with was Skyrocket Digital, the people looked awesome, the vibe in the office was amazing and a few days later I started as an Account Strategist. This was a jump for me not knowing the industry completely I had a few things to learn but I persevered anyway.

During this time at Skyrocket, learning the Canadian culture, the way people do business and work I continued to learn, grow and expand my experience. It was tough and a lot of hard work and sometimes I felt like I was not enough or not skilled enough to do the job but I was persistent and when I felt like I wasn’t winning I spoke up and changed things, and thanks to them being flexible even changed roles to fit my strengths and natural talents.

Fast forward a year and a few months later, COVID hits us hard as it did worldwide. Things become more difficult, stress and tensions are high yet we all remained grounded and focused. This was thanks to our managing director instilling new ways of working and processes. Unfortunately, due to circumstances, I got laid off (first time ever) and this is where once again I am forced to pivot. Working at this Agency was nothing short of amazing but when you are suddenly hit with a life challenge like this it can be very hard to remain positive, see the opportunity that lies ahead and still find the power to persevere.

This story doesn’t quite give you the full picture, there were many times I felt like a failure, alone, challenged and the flip side, happy, peaceful and grateful but I wanted to point out that no matter what life throws at you there is always an opportunity for us to pivot in a positive direction, even though it might not feel like it at the time, and it feels hard and it sucks but this where our habits, goals, finding clarity, self-awareness, being consistent and persistent in everything we do makes such a massive impact in how we persevere.

How it ends…

Well thanks to COVID this came at a perfect time for me as I realized my true passion is coaching and helping people and working with Startups. This opportunity has forced me to pivot and go out on my own and follow my dream and make it happen. Once again I have to find the power to persevere, there will be risk, failure and rewards but I know I have to give it my all and never stop trying. We have only one life, so make it count.

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Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did. — Newt Gingrich

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Keep learning, keep growing and keep going!

Jamie

Hint — the cage is not locked, feel free to connect with me or visit jamiewindell.com :)