'Tis a lesson you should heed:
Try, try, try again.
If at first you don't succeed,
Try, try, try again.
—Thomas H. Palmer
Gentle persistence helps decision makers understand the value you place on your dreams. Don't be annoying and don't give up.
In just one hour today, I was impacted by two people who demonstrated the gift of gentle persistent. I call it a gift because there is such a fine line with persistence and most people cross it or don't even approach it for fear of rejection. They try one time, get ignored or turned down, and that's it. They are out of the game. Others are so persistent that they become annoying and pushy. The same fear is involved there as well--fear that they won't be validated, that they will be ignored, sidelined, or rejected.
It's funny how our fears do exactly what we hope they won't when we let them control us.
The two people today who just simply followed up with me either by email or phone call did so with a confidence and contagious passion about their work that caused me to put aside what I was doing and give them my attention.
And it's funny, the person who called me doesn't know how much I loathe unscheduled phone calls, but with her it was a welcomed call. I could tell you that I wanted to talk with her anyway or that I had originally pursued her, but you know what that doesn't usually cause me to stop, turn, and give something my attention. I know this may sound a bit snobby, but I promise something valuable came out of this for me and maybe it will for you too.
In my communication with both of these people today, I sensed a peaceful and calm confidence in their approached that let me know I should listen right now to what they had to say. They demonstrated the rare gift of tactful and unimposing follow up that communicates the value they place on their dreams. There was no fear or anxiety in their communication. Those kinds of emotions are transferable and not something anyone wants put on them, so we have a tendency avoid these people or put them off when we sense that kind of nervous energy--the very thing they are trying to keep from happening.
But these two gently persistent people indirectly mentored me on how I can use gentle persistence to communicate passion for my own dreams.
How many times do we really try to connect with decision makers to get something going toward our goals?
Listen, these are busy people. They get hundreds or thousands of emails a day, even more text messages and direct messages in social media, they have meetings to attend, phone calls to make, action steps to perform... Not that I know anything about that. But one thing is true: busy influencers and leaders need other people who will be gently persistent with their dreams to keep pushing so that mutual goals can be reached.
Both of these people I spoke to today have something I need to reach my work goals. My helping them achieve their dreams helps me achieve mine. I can partner with calm, confident people.
These two interactions today caused me to see differently the people who hold decisions about my dreams in their hands. If I have a dream or an idea to pitch, my gentle persistence may actually help that busy, multitasking decision maker get what they need to achieve their goals. So why not send a gentle reminder or a follow-up email? If it blessed me today to have some dreamers follow up with me, couldn't I bless someone else in the same way?
You have something someone else needs. Help them find you.
That was a shift in thinking for me. You may have already known this. But if this is a new perspective for you, didn't it just give you a boost of confidence to follow up on something you've kind of let go, because you thought the nonresponse was a no? Well, get to activating that gift of gentle persistence! Your dreams are waiting!
What do you need to follow up on? If you only tried once, aren't your dreams worth that second and third and forth try?