For much of this month our family was ill with a nasty virus. It started with Garrett three weeks ago, grabbed Coach Wolforth about four days later and I was sure I’d made it through until I started to feel a scratchy throat a couple days ago and had a low grade fever the following day. I’m not going to talk about my status because I’m a strong believer in what you focus on you get more of. With that said, I’m not focusing on illness. I’d rather focus on wellness.
So, you might ask why I even bring this up. Here’s why. This virus, which I will here on out refer to as “the visitor”, has stuck around an incredibly long time. Because it’s a virus, there is no specific medicine that can be taken to combat it.
Typically in our house, if someone is feeling a little off or sensing that a bug might be trying to make its way into our system, we double up on our Juice Plus™, get a few extra hours of a good night’s sleep and we wake up “right as rain”. That has not been the case this time. Both Garrett and Coach still show signs of the visitor some three weeks later. And just when it looks like the visitor is leaving, it changes its mind. It comes back in and closes the door in order to hang out a little longer. It has shown amazing persistence.
It got me thinking, how awesome would it be if we all were that persistent. If we had the mentality, “you’re not going to get rid of me or write me off that easily”. Or how about the thought process, “I’ve got you down and I’m going to keep you down. I’m taking this all the way to the finish line.” Just saying and consuming those thoughts changes one’s state.
Here’s the dictionary definition of persistent: Continuing firmly or obstinately in a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition.
I personally like the word obstinate as I have been known to be that way on occasion. (Ok, maybe more than occasionally.) Seriously, read those words again; Continuing firmly or obstinately in a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition.
Here are a couple other definitions: 1) Refusing to give up or let go, 2) Existing for a long or longer than usual time or continuously, 3) Lasting or enduring tenaciously
Wow! To me, this means you have to be absolutely serious and locked into your goals. You must be on a mission and if you run into a roadblock you aren’t deterred. You simply find a way; over, under, around or through. No questions, no doubts. It’s not a matter of “if”, it’s a matter of “when”. That is so powerful to me.
We’re all capable of this. We’ve all shown it sometime in our life. The question is, are you simply interested or truly committed. Our visitor has been committed. And just in case you don’t know the difference, think about this; when it comes to improving the quality of breakfast, a chicken is interested but a pig is committed. I’ll let you chew on that one. 
