Monday, April 20, 2015

PERSISTENCE- WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU?

Today is Monday and I went to the gym in the morning and worked/volunteered in the afternoon. Before leaving the house I wanted to get accurate information so I could return a pair of running shoes to Zappos. The customer service woman was very helpful and polite. When my business was done, I told her how wonderful the shoes were. This style had about 20 very positive comments about the comfort and quality. As it turned out, she had spent 3 1/2 hours on the computer last night looking for running shoes. Not only that, she needed the exact size I was returning. So I said wouldn't that be funny if you buy the pair that I am returning. I told her I would put some little note in a shoe to let her know they were mine. I put in a tiny paper with Hi and a heart! Obviously from a nutcase!! But I had fun. It is probably silly, but I had a nice time talking with her.

One more cool thing happened. Here is where persistence pays off. My friend Julie wanted these shoes in a wide, but they did not have a wide in her size. I asked this lady and at first glance, she said "I'm sorry we don't have a 7 1/2 wide". I told her at the outset that I think she will find them. She then looked at the men's shoes in this style, but no, they didn't have that style. Then she looked for a size 7 wide. Voila! They had a 7 wide (I had originally said she might wear a 7). So I get in the car to finally go to the gym and work out for an hour. I start the car and begin to back up, talking with Julie to tell her the shoes are on the way. When all of a sudden I realize I am talking on my landline, in the car, thinking it was my cell. Lol!!! I screamed with laughter!! In my car using a big old landline thinking it was a cell, it just struck me as very funny. I am my own "home entertainment system"!!! I love to laugh!!

Back to persistence....it is defined as the quality that allows someone to continue doing something, or trying to do something even though it is difficult, or opposed by other people. Persistence and tenacity are very good traits to have, in my humble opinion. However, I think they should always be accompanied by a healthy positive attitude.

I am very easy to get along with, I will always listen to people, and always give them the benefit of the doubt. I don't like arguing and fighting, and I try to be a good listener. But I can be very persistent when I feel the information I received was wrong, or I know there is another way, or if perhaps someone doesn't feel as strongly as I do about the situation. We have great computers called brains, and they can do amazing things for us.

If we feel strongly about something, and we know we are right, that is when we need to persist until it is finished. It doesn't mean we need to be demanding, or mean and nasty. Kindness and fairness always wins people over, and people respect that. At the moment they might disagree, but they respect and admire the tenacity.

A friend once said "when in doubt do what's hardest...the most difficult path is invariably the right one". Wow, isn't that an incredible statement?! It's not easy and definitely not fun, but in the end, it's the best choice.

Thank you, good night and God Bless!   Aleta

"Nothing in this 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 alone are omnipotent."
Calvin Coolidge, 30th President of the U.S.





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