Canadian Small Business Women

Connection, Synergy, Community

  • Home
  • Shop
  • Media
    • Advertise with Us
    • Inside Conversations
  • Partners
  • Events
    • Get Grant Ready Lunch & Learn
    • Strategy Brunch – August
    • Accelerator Program
  • Resources
    • Market Research
    • Community Hubs & Co-working Spaces
    • Tech Resources
    • Human Resources
    • Financial Resources
    • Courses
  • Innovation
    • Clean Technology
    • Green Technology
    • Medical Technology
  • Blog

Aug 01 2019

PERSEVERANCE

Portrait of Dominique Dennery

What makes someone an effective entrepreneur? I found one piece of the puzzle in an unlikely place recently: a series of airports.

THE DEPARTURE, DAY ONE

My beloved niece was getting married in Philadelphia, and I was flying direct from Ottawa. Unfortunately, the day of the flight there was a huge thunderstorm, in Philadelphia, bordering on a hurricane, and when I arrived early for my flight on Thursday, I was told the plane was delayed because we wouldn’t be able to land in Philadelphia.

Hours later, the storm moved out of Philadelphia and we boarded the plane. But by the time we were on the tarmac, there was a thunderstorm in Ottawa. We were told not to worry, as the tires were rubber, but it was genuinely terrifying to be sitting in a metal capsule surrounded by lightning. Of course, the ground crew couldn’t work during those conditions, and they waited until the final drops of rain had stopped. Finally, we could be on our way! Except…by then a second wave of the enormous almost-hurricane had hit Philadelphia, so even though Ottawa was clear, we couldn’t fly out.

We were deplaned and told us to see if we could be rerouted. I went to join the very long line at the counter; it was by now the end of the day, and there was not a single flight left to be found leaving Ottawa, Montreal, or Toronto the next day, Friday. There was a rehearsal dinner on Friday and the wedding itself was on Saturday, and we really, really wanted to make it—but it wasn’t looking good.

To make matters worse, my son had taken an indirect flight on Thursday, stopping in Toronto. His flight couldn’t get to Philadelphia either, and he couldn’t get back to Ottawa on the airline he’d taken to Toronto, so he changed airlines, retrieved all his luggage, and finally flew back to Ottawa at 2 a.m., two hours after I did. We’d each spent twelve hours on fruitless “travel” and we were exhausted.

The airline agent told us that if we could get to Watertown, New York, we could get a flight to Philadelphia on Friday. So I started calling around to find transportation to Watertown. We couldn’t rent a car in Canada and leave it in the US (we were still flying back from Philadelphia), and we couldn’t get a bus. I couldn’t figure out how I’d get my car back if I took my own. Eventually a friend of a friend of a friend who was a taxi driver agreed to take us (for $300 Canadian, plus gas. Desperate times!).

THE DEPARTURE, DAY TWO

I texted my son to say I’d pick him up at 7:15 a.m. to catch an 11:00 a.m. flight in Watertown. On Friday, we got to Watertown in pouring rain but no lightning—we were finally on our way! We boarded the plane and started to taxi to the runway when the plane started making a loud clicking, clunking sound. The pilot tells us we have to go back to the airport due to a mechanical problem.

So we headed back to the airport, and I was first in line for rerouting. They told us the mechanic would be there soon and we should leave by 2 p.m., but there were no other flights to Philadelphia that day, and I wasn’t taking any chances! I told the airline to get us in a taxi to Syracuse, and to get us on a flight to Philadelphia from Syracuse. They agreed.

Just before we got the taxi, I looked at the documents the airline has just given me and I realize they didn’t give me a boarding pass. My son jumped out to get us boarding passes. We were about to leave again when I checked and realized they had put me on the wrong flight, so he went back to the airline and got me another boarding pass—for the right flight this time.

THE ARRIVAL!

Two hours later, we were finally at the Airbnb my sister had rented, and had just enough time to shower and get to the rehearsal dinner. The wedding on Saturday was beautiful, and we were both so glad to have made it. Those many hours of travel were worth it!

THE STUBBORNNESS

If it’s tiring to read about, it was absolutely ridiculous to live. I know that most people would’ve given up a long time before I did, and I have been trying to figure out what made me hang in there for so long. What character trait makes someone decide that nothing will stop them from their goal?

My son is a very persistent, self-made businessman doing very well for himself. He’s intelligent and hardworking. And even he was ready to give up entirely on the trip after the first-day debacle. So what’s the difference, what make someone so stubborn that they’ll only move forward?

Knowing when to let go is an important skill, knowing when you’ve learned a lesson and need to stop investing in a project because it’s time to move on. But there are also times when you need to stick with your idea and goal and make something happen no matter what. What’s the difference between the two? When do you stop being stubborn and realize that there’s another path, a better way, and when do you refuse to rest until you’ve reached your goal?

For me, I think it depends on the ultimate goal. In the case of this ridiculous travel adventure, my wonderful niece was having a once-in-a-lifetime occasion, and I wanted desperately to be there with her and the rest of my family.

IF THE GOAL IS BIG ENOUGH, PERSEVERANCE KICKS IN

So maybe if your goal is bigger, if what you aspire to is big, then you will make the sacrifices to get there. If your goal is to change your part of the world and to give opportunities to people or help people become better versions of themselves or help resolve conflict or make sure that art is an agent of transformation in your city or create a business that will make people’s lives easier—if you have that bigger goal—then you will stop at nothing to make it happen.

If the goal is smaller and doesn’t come from a fire in the belly, then it’s easier (and appropriate) to let go.

Right after I started out on the road to entrepreneurship, my husband got extremely sick. I looked at my husband in the ICU, my ten-hear-old son, and my mortgage, and thought hmm, maybe this isn’t the best time to go out on my own. When my old company found out about what had happened, they even offered me my old job back. But I couldn’t ignore the fire in my belly. I had a vision for how I wanted to affect the world, and I knew I had to see it through. With great support at home and with the business, especially from one wonderful sister, I moved forward with my plan. That was 23 years ago and I’ve never regretted it.

WHAT’S YOUR PHILADELPHIA?

Check in with your own belly. What fire burns there? What makes you want to do it no matter what? What makes you come alive when you think about it? Which goal would you persevere to obtain no matter what? Whatever your answer, start doing that.

As Ellen Johnson Sirleaf said, “If your dreams don’t scare you, they’re not big enough.”

What’s the big dream you’d go to absurd lengths to achieve?

And what’s the longest it’s ever taken you to get to somewhere?

https://dominiquedennery.com/perseverance/perseverance/

 

Dominique Dennery has had her own HR consulting business for over twenty years. She is also an award-winning facilitator, coach, and sculptor.

Connect with Dominique

http://dominiquedennery.com/

Facebook

LinkedIn

Twitter

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Email

Written by Dwania Peele · Categorized: Dominique Dennery · Tagged: perseverance, philadelphia

Jun 26 2013

Perseverance – Holding Strong in Tough Situations

anna

During the course of the last few years I have looked at many young people starting their careers and new entrepreneurs launching their businesses and I have notice a definite pattern.  The success stories come from those who have continued to persevere through the difficult times.

Many young people come out of school with this great expectation of embarking on this grand new career. They have already spent their first week’s pay prior to getting the interview. They have furnished their new apartment, bought their first expensive car, and the new clothes to suit that career, in their imagination.

Then reality occurs and although they have a plan and have done all the right things, the interviews and job offers are low paying and in many cases not in the field they even studied. In other instances, the job offers are distant and far away from home and this leads to the feeling of solitude and loneliness. They don’t have that support system we all need.

New entrepreneurs have invested much of their own funds and have taken loans to sustain their launch and business endeavours. They have invested in websites, marketing, networking events, chambers, and have sacrificed important family time to launch business with passion.

Then this reality hits and the economy is not co-operating, the business contacts are not connecting fast enough, the loans are due, and the desperation starts to overwhelm them.

Through all of this some choose to fold and others choose to fight! It is the strong in mind, passion and belief of self that succeed.  The young people who will take that first job no matter where it is or how low the pay and make it into a career.  Their perseverance is finally paying off! Once we allow ourselves to be open to a different route (not the only we planned unfortunately), we open ourselves up to new methods, opportunities and adventures.

Our wonderful entrepreneurs have to allow the brainstorming sessions with those they trust and rely on to find diverse methods of becoming more known.  There are many inexpensive methods to advertise and through a great network of colleagues they can guide you through.  The perseverance in your passion takes great sacrifice and trust.

Believe in yourself and allow the universe to expand your belief to others.

Anna Ottaviani is a Board Certified NLP Master Practitioner & Master Coach, Board Certified Master Hypnotherapist,Creating Your Future® , Time Line® Therapist Practitioner and Reiki Master. Her methods are unique and tailored to each individual client. She can be reached at www.sucessfullyyou.ca or by phone at 289-221-5772. You can follow her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/successfullyyou?ref=ts&fref=ts

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Email

Written by Dwania Peele · Categorized: Anna Ottaviani · Tagged: Anna Ottaviani, business development, Canadian Small Business Women, career, career coach, coaching, job development, new graduates, perseverance, sacrifice, successfully you, young people

Stay Social with Canadian Small Business Women:

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Login

© Copyright 2012 Canadian Small Business Women · All Rights Reserved