Perseverance is a huge character trait. Sometimes, things will not go your way, all the time. It’s important to be able to absorb that energy and learn the lessons that it provides.
It can be a painful part of growth, particularly if you get too used to not knowing how to deal with it. Emotions happen. Emotions are okay to have. Emotions are also fleeting. The emotions will pass, and the lesson will reveal itself.
You will not always get it right. That’s okay. Keep working at it. Keep trying. PERSEVERE. You come out better for it. Here are three sentences:
”Well, it didn’t go the way I wanted it to. That’s okay, it will one day. So, I’m going to keep trying.”
The middle part is very, very important. That is the belief and expectation that it will, one day. It’s too easy for people to change the script of this and replace the second and third sentences with, “…Maybe this isn’t for me. Maybe I should stop.”
Obviously, context matters. I think, however, more often than not, your ratio should be more on the side of perseverance over giving up. A lot of times, people who are successful at something wasn’t because of an innate talent, or even an issue of being highly motivated. It was because they refused to give up. Please read that again.
The Rope Dart training, I feel, has the potential to ease people into this mindset. There is a natural desire to want to get the technique down, after the teacher demonstrates it. But then when you try it, and you realize that you’re not going to get it on your first, second, or third try, you make a decision to keep trying, and really start thinking about how to iterate slightly differently to get it. Sometimes the teacher can help with little tips, but ultimately, you’ll be figuring it out on your own.
This is the extraordinary value of Rope Dart training. When you find success with it, it can feel quite glorious. No certifications, trophies, or external rewards can replace this feeling. This is the feeling of triumph on your own terms.
This same mental process applies to literally everything in life. Everything. But it’s a lot easier to connect to this with the Rope Dart. When you learn to “fail” with the Rope Dart, hopefully you’ll be able to take these lessons and apply it broadly to everything you do. When you are in a situation that feels hopeless, and you are about to give up, think about that challenging Rope Dart technique you are finally able to do, and how many times you “failed” until you got it right.
Then share that story with others, who are also struggling with challenging circumstances. Are some naturally better than others with Rope Dart? Of course! And some just have more experience with transferable physical skills. None of that matters. It is ultimately your journey, not theirs. If you are not getting a technique right away, it is trying to teach you that it is time to develop your perseverance skill.
This leads me to my final thought:
Think of perseverance as a SKILL that needs to be developed. It doesn’t always naturally just happen. It needs to be practiced. Practicing perseverance is, like anything, the only way to get better at it.
So, let’s get started with the Rope Dart! I make practice ones that I sell for $20, or you can buy your own practice one or even MAKE your own!