"Keep On Keeping On"

Sometimes we are our own worst enemies when it comes to trying to accomplish tasks. Often we get enthused, start, and when the task becomes too hard, we move off to something else. Focus is lost and the task delayed or forgotten. A wise man once told me to succeed in sales I needed to “keep on keeping on.” His obvious success made me heed his advice.

At first glance “keep on keeping on” seems simple, but it can be a daunting task. Often Murphy’s Law “if it can go wrong it will” gets in the way and discourages us. We have to learn to discipline ourselves to stay on task. Anything less wastes time and dooms us to failure. We have to be mentally tough and stay on task.

One attitude that hinders our progress is the “go along to get along” position many take. We get upset when our children yield to “peer pressure” and yet we fall victim to the same position. Others get discouraged or “They decide to go a different direction and so we follow their lead and get derailed. It is much more difficult to get back on track than to just keep things going in the first place.

Early in my insurance career I read a book by insurance millionaire The W. Clement Stone, “The Success System That Never Fails” where Mr. Stone stated “Success is achieved by those who try and keep trying.” Whenever I’m inclined to quit or just delay a task I’m reminded of words of wisdom and “keep on keeping on. Maybe Norman Albright said it in best way when we were at coffee one day and he said “No one has endurance like the man that sells insurance.” That statement about endurance is true of anyone wanting success.

When the task seems difficult we also end up procrastinating. Putting things off will serve to allow the task to become bigger and increases the procrastinating. A better way to handle large tasks is to break them into smaller tasks and move the job towards completion. I remember hearing “by the yard it’s hard: by the inch it’s a cinch.” It is certainly easier to handle smaller tasks that yield momentum.

In reality if we learn the lesson of “keeping on keeping on” we will set ourselves apart from the most of those around us. Earl Nightingale, the great motivational speaker of yesteryear, estimated that only 5% of the total population would continuously do the activities necessary for success. That puts them in exclusive company. Determining to “keep on keeping on” is a great starting place.