As business owners, we have all experienced times of adversity or challenge. Sometimes the challenge is thrust upon us by an amazing opportunity that stretches us beyond our current capacity or competencies. Other times it could be a vendor or employee that gives us an unexpected challenge that we have to take on, whether we like it or not. In most circumstances, we are accustomed to rising to the occasion without even thinking about it; we expect to encounter these hurdles along the way and we are prepared for them.
What about those times when challenge after challenge seems to mount before us – and we find ourselves in constant motion uncertain how much more we can handle? It is in these times that it can be hard to imagine how we will get through and if we will have our sanity once we immerge. Also, it is in these times that we need to focus on the possibilities, the learnings that come from dealing with challenges, and the growth that we can only gain through adversity and struggle.
We all should take a lesson about endurance from the young woman in the true story, Grayson. She takes on the challenge of reuniting a baby whale with his mother in the vastness of the Antarctic Ocean. Although the journey starts with just her and the baby whale – over a four hour period of swimming alongside the baby whale and enlisting many locals and others at sea – she is able to do the unthinkable of reuniting the mother and baby. The physical exhaustion of swimming for four hours is met with the satisfaction of accomplishment.
In business, there are many times when we need to ‘just keep swimming.’ We know that the water may be rough, or we may need to adjust our course, or it may take longer than expected, but if we are able to keep our focus on the goal and push through – the rewards from our accomplishments will be worth all the hard work.
YOUR CHALLENGE: Take time to align yourself to your goals and what needs to be accomplished to get you there. Then, push yourself to do what it takes to make it happen – ‘just keep swimming.’

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