Did you hear about the time I lost my wallet at the airport and had to figure out how to get on an airplane with no ID?

You might have heard me talk about it when it happened back in early June. 

It wasn’t a great day. What I wanted to do was sit down and cry — but I knew that wouldn’t get me anywhere. And the whole time I was in that airport, trying to figure out my next steps, all I could think about was Daphne. (Well, Daphne and how badly I wanted to be in my bed, in my own home.)

In Sunday school, Daphne had learned about perseverance — not giving up, even when it’s hard. Even when success doesn’t come for a long time. Even when you’re convinced there’s no way you can make this work. 

We’d had a whole conversation about perseverance, and I knew that I had to put that lesson into practice. 

I knew my goal: Get home. The obstacles were clear: my flight the day before had been cancelled — along with many others — so I was competing for space on a new flight, and I had no ID, because I had lost my wallet. 

Sometimes, you can’t control the situation — I couldn’t magically get a new ID — but I could control my response. I could keep my cool. I could be polite to the people around me, because my lost wallet wasn’t their fault. My cancelled flight wasn’t their fault. 

Getting bossy or huffy with people might make me feel powerful for a second or two. Taking out my frustration on a customer service agent might provide a moment of satisfaction — but these things wouldn’t help me get what I really wanted: to go home. 

You have a goal, Mama. You want you business to get off the ground and bring you the dolla bills. 

It’s frustrating when things get in your way, whether that’s the kids who need attention, the husband who wants you to get a “real job,” or the friends who don’t understand why you suddenly don’t have time to spend hours on the phone.

It’s disheartening when the discovery call doesn’t pan out, when the potential client ghosts, or when you can’t figure out how to get your email hooked up to your web site. 

But giving up won’t get you what you want. Losing patience won’t get you closer to your goal. 

You have to be prepared to persevere. You have to be persistent, and keep doing the hard things even when it takes longer than you want, longer than you planned, longer than you think you can bear. 

And even when the work is hard, you have to be willing to do it.

How many times do we just stop where we are because it’s easier than moving forward? 

What are you willing to do for what you want, mama? What’s your story of perseverance? 

P.S. Did you get your Early Bird Ticket for The 3-Day Free Mama Retreat? Our Early Bird spots are ALMOST GONE — so don’t wait!

P.P.S. I gave a deep dive, behind the scenes look at my Calendar and how I make timeblocking work for me and family on the latest episode of FreeMamaTV. If you want more time and more control of your schedule, watch it now!