Category: persistence

leadership dot #1207a: consistency

April 23, 2026April 18, 2026by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

I was never a fan of Mr. Rogers, but I did appreciate one of his quotes:

“I like to swim, but there are some days I just don’t feel much like doing it — but I do it anyway! I know it’s good for me and I promised myself I’d do it every day, and I like to keep my promises.”

I can certainly relate his swimming to my blog writing. If I only wrote on the days I felt like it, I would have far fewer postings than I do now.

I wonder why it is that I keep to the discipline of writing a daily blog, but don’t always have the same tenacity with other intentions that I have. Could it be because the blogs are public, or more likely because they are numbered? Perhaps it is because I have not missed one day in over three years, so I hate to break the ‘streak’? Maybe it is because I don’t ask myself if I ‘feel like it’, because I hardly ever do.

Think about a positive behavior you have that you wish to replicate in other areas of your life. What characteristics make up that pattern, which you can apply to other tasks or habits? If Mr. Rogers could swim daily and I can write for [5063] days, maybe there are things we all can learn from that kind of consistency.

Source: The World According to Mister Rogers: Important Things to Remember by Fred Rogers, Hatchette Books, 2003

Originally published in modified form on September 21, 2015

leadership dot #4703: big dance

August 11, 2025August 11, 2025by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

Over the weekend, Jen Pawol made history by becoming the first female to umpire in a Major League Baseball game. It’s an unlikely path, not only for a woman, but also for someone who holds a Master of Fine Arts degree and was an art teacher in her previous career.

Pawol serves as a role model of persistence, regardless of gender. She played Division 1 softball in college, and then umpired amateur softball leagues for 11 years (for a whopping $15/game!). Ten years ago, she enrolled in the umpiring academy, received an invitation to take the advanced course, then worked her way up through Gulf Coast leagues, Triple-A baseball, spring training, and as an on-call umpire. Finally, all that work paid off on Saturday when she “went to the Big Dance.”

Jen Pawol’s dream was to go from being a painter to becoming an MLB umpire, and here she is. If you have the grit to stick with it like Pawol, you won’t strike out.

leadership dot #4622: novices

May 15, 2025May 14, 2025by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

Last weekend, I was able to watch my nephew play volleyball. This is just the second year the high school has sponsored a men’s volleyball team, and it showed. The scores were lopsided, and the matches weren’t fun to watch.

I’ll bet the guys would have been more comfortable sleeping in, yet there they were — a full roster of young athletes who had to be at the bus at 8am on a Saturday after playing on three other nights earlier in the week. My nephew even joined the swim team to stay in shape during the off-season. I admire their dedication.

It would be easy to quit after a disappointing season, but they have made a commitment and are working to improve every game. They can execute the fundamentals and are working on the strategy and finesse! Hopefully, it will be even more fun by senior year when all their efforts pay off and they can appreciate what they have built.

It’s never easy starting something, as you’re bound to look bad. But if you only do things you’re good at, you’re missing out on many of life’s adventures. Let the volleyball men serve you a lesson to focus on the potential, not the moment, and become a novice at something you might love.

leadership dot #4586: buzzer

April 9, 2025April 8, 2025by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

The NCAA Men’s Final Four semi-finals and championship were games of legend — just what a national tournament should be. In the Duke-Houston semi, Duke had a healthy lead for almost the entire game and was up by six with 34 seconds remaining — yet lost. In the final, Houston was the team ahead for all but 17 seconds — before the final minute. Then Florida ironically showed the Cougars the same final-play heartbreak they had caused Duke by taking the lead in the final 19 seconds and winning. Thrillers!

I’m sure coaches in years to come will remind their players of these outcomes as well as the importance of never giving up. It may seem daunting, but persistence until the final moment matters. Poise under immense pressure matters. Judgment and instinct matter — on the court, in the office, at home, and just about everywhere in between.

For Duke and Houston, their spectacular, #1 ranking, conference-winning season will be remembered by an increment shorter than a TV commercial. For those watching, it’s a reminder that on any given day, it’s not over until the final buzzer sounds, even if the previous 39 minutes would lead you to believe otherwise.

Worth watching the final two minutes here: Duke-Houston and Houston-Florida.

leadership dot #4488: workaround

January 1, 2025December 22, 2024by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

As the story goes, Major League Baseball told Cardinals owner August Busch, Jr. that he could not change the name of the St. Louis ballpark from Sportsman’s Park to Budweiser Stadium. So, he named the new stadium after his family — then ordered his brewers to create a new beer named Busch. It has worked out well for him as Busch Light remains one of the top 10 beers in the U.S.

Gussie Busch found a workaround to get what he wanted in the end. May you have the ingenuity and persistence to do the same toward achieving your goals in the new year.

leadership dot #4353: driven

July 30, 2024July 29, 2024by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

What do a credit union and the humane society have in common? Well, in our area both have added a mobile component to their work. The credit union now has a mobile branch complete with an ATM that makes appearances at festivals and other gatherings. The humane society has a trailer that allows them to take about a dozen animals out into the community where they have a greater likelihood of adoption.

It’s not just food trucks that are taking their services to the people. People may be too busy to come to you but can you modify what you offer so that you go to them? Your inconvenience to provide your customer with convenience may drive your success.

leadership dot #4237: discrepancy

April 5, 2024April 4, 2024by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

It baffles me that the 3-point arc in the Women’s NCAA Elite Eight Tournament was drawn incorrectly by nine inches!

But even more surprising is that it was brought to the attention of officials by a fan who saw the discrepancy from his seats — in the fifth game of the tournament. Almost certainly, someone else had thought it looked “off” or noticed a difference, but only Michael McGrath persisted in bringing the error to the attention of officials.

It would have been easy for McGrath to post his pictures and let it go at that, or for the refs to dismiss such an outlandish claim from a fan, but McGrath cared enough to get his message through. He saw another fan waving to one of the tournament’s workers and followed up with the fan to get connected to the worker and then with an official. His perseverance paid off, and soon everyone was involved in the calamity.

The next time you see something that is amiss, take a lesson from Michael McGrath and have the fortitude to act on your observation. We need more people to care about making things right.

Source: NCAA women’s tournament game played on court with incorrect three-point line by Jesse Dougherty, The Washington Post, April 1, 2024.

leadership dot #755a: alphabet actions

December 28, 2023December 21, 2023by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

Many people work best in stages A to G — as in Gee Whiz! Once the idea is defined, they are ready to move on and let someone else do the implementation. That would be fine, but often that stage involves a lot of grunt work and figuring out the details of how to make something happen. Everyone likes the glory and the excitement that is created when something is new, but not everyone has the talent or temperament to see it to completion.

Then there are others (like me) who derive great satisfaction from finishing. I have a necklace with a charm of a manual typewriter key. I chose the letter “Z” — as in A to Z — to symbolize finishing.

I like the idea of checking something off the list and having it be complete. I like having a strategic plan that is measurable; a target that is met or not, or a project that is thought through enough that it can be delegated to others and become part of the institutional fabric.

A to G is the question mark phase; H to Y is the comma that can go on forever and Z is the period that makes it a sentence. Don’t leave your ideas dangling like a grammar lesson modifier. Push through until the end and earn that Z.

Originally published in modified form on June 26, 2014

leadership dot #4142: rockin’

December 22, 2023December 21, 2023by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

In addition to a catchy melody, the “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” song comes with an inspirational back story.

Brenda Lee recorded it in 1958 — when she was only 13. Released as a single, it had a modest reception and became just one of hundreds of Christmas tunes. But the song had staying power and this year topped the Billboard Hot 100, making Lee, at age 78, the oldest person to ever top the chart. (She had a birthday a week later, breaking her own record at age 79.)

If you think of giving up because one of your projects has only lukewarm results, think of Brenda Lee and her Christmas tune. It took 65 years, but her song finally became Number One. Keep putting good work out into the universe without worrying about becoming an instant success. You may rock it decades later.

leadership dot #4070: the journey

October 5, 2023October 3, 2023by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

In Matt Rogers’ book Significant Recruiting, Olympic Gold Medalist and World Cup Champion Lori Chalupny Lawson gives advice to aspiring high school students who wish to become college athletes.

She writes: “It’s not often the skill level that determines which players continue. Skill level may determine what a player achieves, but if the love of the game doesn’t become a love for the challenge it will be hard to find success. Everyone loves the moment of achievement. You have to find a way to love the preparation it takes for that moment.”

Her insight is true not only for athletes but for most circumstances in life. In order to celebrate, you must first become determined to put in the grunt work required to get the results you seek. You’ve got to go to classes to earn that advanced degree. Push through at the gym to achieve your fitness goals. Volunteer for the unglamorous projects at work to earn that promotion. Say yes when it’s so much more desirable to say no.

Whether through mind tricks, discipline, competitive spirit, or anything else, set yourself up to be mentally ready for the entire climb, not just reaching the peak. The more you embrace the whole journey, the more likely it is that you’ll reach your goal.

Source: Significant Recruiting: A Playbook for Prospective College Athletes by Matt Rogers, 2023.