Persevering "No Matter What": Creativity Rehab! Part 5

A Guide To Recovering Your Creative Soul Through Life’s Simple, Guiding Principles

per·se·ver·ance /ˌpərsəˈvirəns/ noun persistence in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success.

"No matter what": These three simple words, a strong belief system, sharing what I've learned with others and the support of like-minded friends have helped keep me sober for nearly 11 years. The concept itself is simple: No matter what happens in life, you just don't pick up the drink. Your father dies, you don't drink. You lose your job, you don't drink. Your husband leaves you, you don't drink. You feel like your ass is falling off, you don't drink. While the concept is simple, the truth is that the "no matter whats" can be excruciatingly hard without a plan in place and a support system to lean on. Persevering through the "no matter whats" in sobriety is not a chore; alternately, it's become a source of joy and opportunity for growth.

My life is filled with smart, creative women. Over the last couple of decades, I've watched friends navigate the "no matter whats." They've started businesses, and persevered through heartache, financial loss and even a global pandemic. I've watched fellow artists take incredible leaps, leaving everything behind to live abroad and study their craft even further. I've watched them keep going, no matter what. I've also witnessed friends afraid to pursue what really makes them happy, and friends who've given up half-way through their creative pursuits. I wanted to know the answer: what makes one person give up, and the other see their goals through until the end? What does it take to Persevere, no matter what obstacle is thrown in the way?

If you find yourself in the middle of a project you can't seem to finish (or start), how can you use the principle of Perseverance to see it through? Try using the following questions to better understand your own challenges with Perseverance, and ultimately come up with a plan to see things through to the end. For starters, ask yourself:

• What does my dialogue with myself look like when I want to give up?

• How will I treat myself if I fall off-course?

• What if I don’t have the financial resources I need to complete my project? What actions will I take to change my situation?

• How will I keep going through the comments and potential judgement of others?

• Am I willing to finish, even if I don’t meet the timeline I’ve set for myself? Why or why not?

• What does my project’s timeline or schedule look like? Would setting up definable, actionable goals on a calendar help me reach the finish line?

• Would an accountability partner or other type of advisor help me stay the course?

To learn more about how my Creativity Rehab! series might help you reach your creative goals, check out my previous blog posts on Willingness, Hope, Honesty and Courage. I'd love to learn more about the ways you've Persevered in your life, or the challenges you're currently facing. Drop me a line at alipat6@gmail.com. Visit me online at www.alicepatterson.net.

Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash