S = Stamina

(Our premise is this:  If plan A fails you still have twenty-five other options.)

Stamina is our “S” word in this series.  There are some great synonyms for “Stamina”.

Staying power

 Energy

  Endurance

   Resistance

    Resilience

     Strength

      Determination

       Vigor

        Doggedness

         Fortitude

We cannot avoid the “running a race” metaphor with this word. 

~Stamina means we hang in there longer and stronger than anyone else.

~Stamina means we have a dogged determination to see this thing through.

~Stamina means we have conviction and fortitude that we are right.

~Stamina means we are determined to conquer.

~Stamina means we have a strong desire to survive, thrive and win.

~Stamina means we will resist whatever ill winds blow against us. 

~Stamina means we will maintain our vigor till the end, and then we will tie a knot in it and hang on a little longer.

We love heroes with stamina, heroes who stand up one more time than their opponent.  In business, we love to see the underdog become the top dog. 

WE      LOVE      STAMINA!

So how do we develop stamina?

It begins with the dream. 

   -How much do you buy into your dream?

   -How many contingencies have you considered?

   -How much reserve capital do you have, and can you get more?

   -How much grit do you have?

   -How strong is your desire to win, to be successful, and to build your

     dream?

   -To whom do you turn when you are losing your grip?

   -What and in whom do you find inspiration?

On a web site for developing stamina in health, I would like to borrow the gist of this article and apply these principles toward our business model.

1.  Eat healthy.  On what do you feed your mind? Who are your role models?

2.  If you need a lot of stamina for the long haul, you need plenty of reserve capital.  Enough said.

3. Get plenty of exercise.  How well-grounded is your idea.  Have you practiced enough, studied enough, had enough experience or can you hire the experience you will need?

4. Are you in love with your dream enough to see it through?

5. Gradually build up to your peak performance level.  I’m interpreting this to mean grow at a speed that you can handle. 

6. Involve others.  Who is on your team?  Who is your main counselor/mentor?  Can you trust them?

7. Visualize.  Picture your dream and the goal-line.  This is perhaps one of the most important aspects for all of us in our pursuits.  It’s the old adage promoted by Napoleon Hill and Earl Nightingale - We become what we think about.  

We MUST revisit our dream.  Picture the what, the how, and the end result.  After a great visualization session, it is amazing how our stamina can come back to life.

Follow this Link to How to Improve Stamina

In closing, allow me to borrow from Stephen Covey’s book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.

Believe it or not, rest and reflection is just as important as driving hard every day.  Remember to “take time to sharpen the saw.”  Not only should we take days off, vacations and relaxation times, we also need to step back from the “in-your-face” view and gain a broader perspective.  From time to time we must go back and look at our blueprint to make sure we are building our dream according to the plan. 

  

P Michael Biggs

Up-Words Web Site

Offering Hope

Encouragement Inspiration

One Word at a Time