Persistence. It’s a good quality, right?

There are many different things that run through my head when I think of the word, “persistence.”

For example, the sales associate that can be quite persistent when you just want to browse and enjoy your shopping experience. Or when your sweet child (or children) really, really want something and simply won’t take no for an answer.

But for all the potential negative images that word may bring up, there are positive aspects to persistence. Entrepreneurs have to be some of the most positive,  focused, driven and persistent people out there. You have to handle being told “no” many times and still press on, hoping and believing there will be a “yes.”

Recently, we were on the hunt for our permanent home in Waco after renting for the past 11 months and let me tell you, I had to dig deep for even a tiny bit of persistence to keep me going. When we moved from Fort Worth last year, one of the main reasons we decided to rent was because the market was crazy in Waco. We’d see a house online that we liked and within 24 hours it was already under contract. So we waited.

In January, we started our search again. We almost made an offer on one house, but didn’t quite feel settled about it. Then we found another house that seemed just right. We told our realtor we wanted to make an offer and he told us they would be reviewing ALL their offers the next day. Ours didn’t make the cut, so it was back to the drawing board.

Then we found “the one.” It was a dream house for us. We had always wanted an older home (as in 20s-30s) that we could renovate, but weren’t sure we had enough DIY in us to tackle a job that big. This house was a 1936 gem that had already been renovated by Chip and Joanna long before they became household names. That was just the icing on the cake.

Needless to say, there were multiple offers on this house. One of my best friends just knew this was going to be our new home. I appreciated her positivity, but I definitely wasn’t on board with her right away. We prayed, included a heart-felt note to the sellers about why we wanted this to be our home and waited. It seemed like an eternity, but in reality was only two days.

They accepted our offer and the rest is history. Our persistence paid off.

But you know another calling where you must have a truckload of persistence? 

Motherhood. Being a mom is not for the faint of heart. We are expected to keep going, even in the midst of adversity, where there is no guarantee that our efforts will be successful. It’s a walk of faith.

So I want to encourage you mamas out there feeling exhausted, overworked, under-appreciated, sick, heartbroken, single parenting…whatever it may be. 

Ask for help. Take a break. Start a self-care routine. Don’t give up. Persevere.

And if you’re a mama that is just fine, then help another mama who may not be. We’re all in this together.