The gift of perseverance

The journey of life is never consistently up and to the right.

Allie Garfinkle wrote a great piece in Fortune about Larsen Jensen, an elite Olympic Swimmer and Navy SEAL. In the interview, Jensen painted a picture of the grind to get to the podium.

“It does feel surreal [on the podium],” said Jensen. “It does because you spend so many years and there are so many thankless moments. In my sport, at 5 a.m., you’re in the water, even in the freezing winter. And where I grew up, it was all outdoor pools, frost on the pool deck. The loneliness of doing that, where not even coaches showed up…that was misery. That was grit, it was determination, and my own worst enemy was myself. It’s hard, lonely, and not very glamorous.”

The journey is never what it seems.

There is a perception of the road. A glorified skip down the path to the podium.

But, the actual road is never in agreement with the perception.

The road is paved with grit, determination, desire, hard work, all those qualities we admire. We almost glorify those qualities.

But, under each of these qualities is perseverance, the uncomfortable quality.

The peaks and valleys, twists and turns, that life throws at us.

The unexpected happens, the road doglegs left, health or death strike, the economy turns, future is uncertain.

“Life is a lot of suffering, with some highlights that come in between.” Larsen Jensen

Perseverance is never fun. It is never a goal written in January. In fact, rarely is it planned for in life.

The need for perseverance just happens. It arises without warning.

But, perseverance is a gift. Were it not for perseverance, the ego would win.

The way one handles perseverance builds a legacy.

In a world where we glorify the lives of others, we tend to miss the perseverance that we all walk through.

Be an ear for someone today. Just an ear, not a problem solver. You’ll need it in return some day.

That builds a legacy.

Scripture, Isaiah 40:30-31

Impact others. Live generously.