Diamonds are only chunks of coal that stuck to their jobs, you see. -- Malcolm Forbes


How has your determination paid off for you in your life? So often it is difficult to know when to continue pushing forward and when to let go of a project or an idea.

Leslie wanted to change the culture of her small company. She realized that achieving her goals would require determination. Yet determination was not enough; she knew that she also needed a well-developed plan for the changes to stick in her industry of computer systems, an industry that was rapidly changing. She carefully laid out a detailed plan to achieve her goals, including all incremental steps, with quarterly reviews. She knew real change would take at least five years. At times along the way, Leslie became self-doubting; her determination waned. At times, it seemed that the company was moving backward.

Each year, however, Leslie met with her management team and together they assessed the progress of the program. Indeed, the program progressed as planned.

Just for today, I will ask myself what results my determination has produced in my life and accept that some things take time.