Modern Craft Skills: Determination

 
 
 

Set a goal and focus on its achievement by resisting all distractions and being persistent. 

 

Being determined requires perseverance, tenacity, and intention. It means the actions we are taking are deliberate.

Determination means we can resist distractions. When we are determined we will stay the course and go the distance. We will concentrate on objectives with determination, stamina, and resolve. Determination is a quality that holds us accountable, prohibits us from quitting even when our goal takes a long time to accomplish.

Experiences offering immediate gratification bombard us daily, rewarding our impatience. We want too much too soon, and our wanting contributes to losing sight of a critical truth: In life, anything that is worthwhile takes time. Determination gives us the focus to stick with it. Determination is patience with action. It's not wanting and waiting. It's waiting while we take action on a specific plan.

Goals and plans are essential, but they must be realistic. Simplistic goals don't motivate. Idealistic goals become counterproductive. Unrealistically high goals stifle initiative. Difficult-but-realistic goals, an appropriate challenge, produces a mission-directed life.

We all encounter obstacles along the way. Being aware of what is happening around us and remaining open-minded about how we will approach our goal allows us to adjust our methods and stay flexible. We must be malleable.

We get stronger through adversity. Muscles work against heavy objects—that's adversity. We get stronger mentally through progressive difficulty in education. We don't start with trigonometry. We start with basic math. Over time, we gain the building blocks of knowledge—algebra, geometry, calculus—that help us understand more complex subjects like trigonometry. Losing loved ones may be the hardest event we experience in our lives. We slow down, but we don't stop living. Having known them—even if they were demanding—made us stronger, better people. We gained an additional perspective.

When we experience the challenge and change of life, we increase our strength morally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. Therefore, we cannot dread difficulty nor allow it to stop us from reaching our true potential.

PRACTICE:

  • How do you deal with people and events that hinder you from accomplishing your main goals? Do you need to change the way you react to distractions?

  • Describe a time when you successfully pushed through distractions and difficulties to reach your goal.

COMMIT:

[ ] I commit myself to be focused on the main goal of reaching excellence and to avoid anything less important that would keep me from reaching my greatest potential.


Alongside technical skills, people who can master a range of subjective skills are better able to influence, deal with ambiguity, bounce back from setbacks, think creatively, and manage themselves successfully in their pursuit of mastery. Learn more about applying craft skills in the modern world.