I’ve been learning from Meg Wheatley for some years now, and was reminded of her wisdom the other day when I found a note I had made during a session with her. She says, “It is comforting to remember that perseverence is the story of humankind. We all come from ancestors who persevered. We wouldn’t be here without them. It's our turn now.”

Perseverence. How often we must persevere, not simply as leaders but as humans. I was reminded of this over the weekend, when we learned that my mother had another fall. This time, thankfully, she was in hospital, and so help was very close at hand. However, she did fall flat on her face, and has broken her cheekbone, poor dear. What was amazing though, was the story we heard from the nurse who came to her aid. Mum was on her way to the bathroom to brush her teeth after dinner. The nurse found her on the floor, blood coming from her nose and mouth, trying to pull herself up on her walker, toothpaste and toothbrush still in hand, still trying to get to the bathroom to brush her teeth!

Those who know me and my siblings will immediately recognize our stubborn side. I believe stubborness to be simply the shadow side of perseverence. And when held in the light, this stubbornness means that we will  stand our ground when called, we will fight for an ideal or a good we believe in, and we will stand by our friends. (We also mess up on these qualities from time to time, being human).  Leadership, especially in these adventurous times requires perseverence. There is a great deal of fear in the world, and as leaders, we need to persevere against the fear, persevere against the troubles, persevere against the dangers. We must persevere with courage, persevere with health and strength, and persevere with a soulful confidence. And perhaps most importantly, we must persevere against the petty, the sharp and the short within ourselves.

I know that the next time I feel like giving up, I’ll recall the image of my 84 year old mother, hurt and frustrated, pulling herself up, and staying focused on the work at hand.

May each of us find an opportunity for such courage and perseverence this week. “It’s our turn now.”