The Power of Perseverance
“[trumpet sounds]…Charge!”
Time to forge ahead, my foxes. This weekend’s newsletter is about the power of perseverance. Yep, that’s right, we’re talking about determination at its finest.
The way I look at it, our skills and experience are what distinguish our present reality from our desired reality. If we maintain the core belief that our dreams are achievable, then we can achieve them. Take heart my foxes, and let’s look to our heroes, the “greats.” If they can do it, so can we.
This is not to say that we aren’t already great - we are! But if you’re like me, you have a vision of the life you’d like to live and maybe you’re not there just yet. I have no complaints about my current life - being Nikki Merrifox is pretty sweet! But I do have dreams about what I’d like Merrifox to be, and the kind of lifestyle I’d like to live.
Sometimes, the hardest thing about taking action on our dreams is believing that we can be successful. It is much easier to believe in other people’s successes. We all have our heroes, right?! And we’ve already seen them succeed. That’s why they’re our heroes.
The hero’s journey is a popular story arc because struggle is more relatable than success. We get a snapshot of our hero’s humanity. Every person who is living out their dream has had to take action, had to struggle, had to practice practice practice PRACTICE to get where they are. They had to develop the skills and experience that took them from their present state to their dream state. They had to persevere.
The word “perseverance” comes from Latin’s “perseverantia,” which means to "continue steadfastly, persist,” “to abide by strictly,” “to endure.” And the root of the word as “severus,” means "serious, grave, strict, austere."
The greatest lesson we can learn from our heroes is the power of perseverance. Every success story, and every dream come true, occurred because our heroes persevered. Our heroes knew what it meant to take the dream seriously, to endure through unanticipated problems, and to continue to make progress no matter what. They focused on developing their skills and problem-solved their way to success.
That’s how I’ve learned to paint. I’ve taught myself the skills that I need to manifest what I see and imagine on canvas. Well, some of the skills! I have a lot more room to grow, so I’ll just keep persevering, practicing, and working towards my dream. I’m a work in progress just like this painting:
I still have a lot to learn. I’m working on my skills with composition, lighting, color, palette knives, brushes, paint… all the things. As a solo entrepreneur, I do EVERYTHING it takes to run Merrifox. Product photography, marketing, content creation, writing, accounting, materials sourcing, shipping, manufacturing, the list goes on and on. And I’ve had to teach myself all these things. I feel encouraged when I take a closer look at my heroes’ stories, and see that they all had to begin somewhere, just like I have.
pink sunrise on Half Dome
dawn through the trees
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Can you tell which paintings were made with brushes versus palette knives? I’ll give you a hint: check out the texture! Send me a message and let me know if you have a favorite.
Long story short, I’m here to share my journey to encourage you on yours. We’ll encourage each other! Who knows what we’ll achieve, but if we persevere, it will definitely be foxy! 🦊🌟
…Just a quick reminder that my original landscape paintings will be available in my shop for the first time tomorrow (Monday 8/5/19) at 8:00am PST. I will also have limited edition prints available! If purple mountains aren’t your jam, no worries at all. I’m just glad to have you here! You support me and my craft by reading this Newsletter, sending me messages, and by being foxy.
Three cheers for my lovely foxes,
“It’s not about perfect. It’s about effort. And when you bring that effort every single day, that’s where transformation happens. That’s how change occurs.”
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