What's In A Word? Persevere Vs. Severe!

This week, I'm sharing some quotes that are centered around the ideas of hard work and not giving up, which are frequent and favorite themes of small business owners, I've noticed. That led me to pondering the heavy-sounding, serious word of "perseverance." (Pondering sounds pretty deep and serious too.) I've actually been staring at that word for a while and a couple things jumped out at me. First, it contains the words "severance" and "sever," which both have some pretty negative connotations. "You no longer have a job, here's your severance package." Yikes, no one wants to hear that! Or "I'm afraid we have to sever our relationship." Not that anyone really talks that way, but you get the idea.

Second, if you look at the verb form of the word (look at me sounding all English-major-y) — persevere — it contains the word "severe." Again, negative-sounding and negative-meaning: severe weather, severe pain, severe financial losses... all bad! But then, thanks to the magic (quirks?) of the English language, you add the letters "per" in front of either of those words and voilà, you've made happy, positive words: persevere & perseverance. Yeah!

Perseverance Mantra: Try, Try, Repeat!

Now that you've had your English lesson for the day, let me move on to why I was thinking about perseverance in the first place. As I said, we small business owners love to talk about how hard we work. Can't tell you how many times the conversation drifts to that topic over drinks or brunch or anytime we get together. Whether we're complaining/bragging about our long hours or are excited about a new project, it's hard for us to "turn off." The work is kind of in our DNA. When you're running your own gig, it has to be!

Since things rarely go exactly as planned, we all need a hefty dose of perseverance, some more than others! Business owners and the self employed need it big time! The minutiae of a small business can feel like a slog, especially if it's just you handling it all by your lonesome. So a sense of stick-at-it-ness is super helpful.

Is the ability to persevere a trait that we're born with? Or can it be acquired? If you ask me, I think it's both! For some lucky people it comes easily. Others, not so much. If your'e one of those, fear not! I think, like most good habits, it's something you can practice and develop over time. Just like your piano teacher probably said every week, practice makes perfect! And when we're talking about perseverance and not giving up, it's the act of practicing that's important... often more important than the actual outcome. The wise people I'm quoting this week say it best. Although I also have a mantra of my own that I like to say when I feel like giving up. It's not flowery or deep, but it works: Try, try, repeat!

Be Oh So Quotable This Week!

Oh hey, are you in desperate need of simple and easy steps to attract clients you love, create a pricing strategy and ditch the door knockers? Then you've come to the right place! Get it here for FREE!

I always say running a business means the work never ends! Ain't that the truth? I bet your to-do list is a mile long! Make sure that the items at the top of your list are the things that relate to being more profitable. Everyone is so proud of being so "busy"...But Are You Making Any Money? Don't be too busy to focus!

Check out the summary of last week's business tips and motivational quotes from my Instagram page which you hopefully got to see in real time! If not, let's make sure we're following each other on Instagram!! So...here is this week's roundup of Instagram images of My Top Business Tips and Motivational Quotes.

Quotes On Perseverance – Tip #1:

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"We are what we repeatedly do, excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit." – Aristotle

Quotes On Perseverance – Tip #2:

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"I am too positive to be doubtful, too optimistic to be fearful and too determined to be defeated." – Hussein Nishah

Quotes On Perseverance – Tip #3:

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"I never dreamed of success. I worked for it." – Estée Lauder

Quotes On Perseverance – Tip #4:

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"Successful people are simply those with successful habits." – Brian Tracy

Quotes On Perseverance – Tip #5:

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"A surplus of effort could overcome a deficit of confidence." – Sonia Sotomayor

Let's talk! I'd love to hear your take on perseverance!

Does perseverance come naturally to you? Is it a habit or trait you've acquired? I would LOVE to hear from you! Anyhoo...I publish these business tips and motivational quotes to get you fired up for your work week!

Oh by the way, do you feel like you're too busy? Or like you're always working but not much is getting done? Your solution is right here and it's FREE!

And, if you want more business tips, get my book, But Are You Making Any Money? or contact me to really take your business to the next level!

xoxo M

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