Get Through Days
‘99% of success is showing up and persistence.’
There’s a lot of confusion about whether pushing ahead through difficulty is good for you or not. We all know the phrase about most success is achieved just through showing up and perseverance and that probably resonates with our lives. At the same time, you might have heard about the plight of presenteeism at work, which occurs when employees show up to work sick, burned out or injured. Presenteeism is less visible than absenteeism, but some researchers say it can be even more damaging to productivity, and the longer-term health of a workforce.
Let’s dig deeper. Presenteeism does not refer to going to work with a cold, mild cough, feeling tired or not quite yourself, having had a bad night’s sleep or feeling fed up. Actually, these are not reasons for work absence but there may be a benefit under these circumstances if you can work from home that day alongside eating well and self- care (if your employment allows for remote working). If you are going to sneeze over others or pass on bugs, staying at home may be the preference of your team too! Presenteeism refers to more serious, chronic and long- term issues that need a proper assessment, treatment and time off. Think Tonsillitis, respiratory infections and taking a proper compassionate leave after a death or family incident. If you are ill at work, you probably are not being persistent nor productive. Persistence takes motivation and energy.
‘Get Through days’ are the ones that help us appreciate the good days. You may have a lot of ‘Get Through days when you first have children and the sleepless nights that accompany them or when you are distracted and worried by family matters or money concerns. A ‘Get Through day’ challenges your resilience and is worth celebrating when you get through it. You persistently keep showing up to attend to the task in hand and give it your best shot. There are ‘lost weeks’ when the Get Through days gather together possibly when you are under-the-weather, or a child is ill and you are willing the episode to end. What a relief when life and energy return to normal again but you also learn that you can get through these periods as most trials pass.
And then there are the Workplace Get Through days. The meetings you dread, the people you don’t like, the work you find boring or difficult and you want to avoid. They are there to teach you something and the anticipation is probably worse than the reality. A Get Through work- day is an achievement and/or a cue to address a workplace problem or seek a conversation with your manager. Too many Lost Weeks might mean it is time to change your job.
Showing up and Get Through Days are part of resilience building and can lead to success. If you decide that you don’t want success in that field, it has taught you that it is time to make a change. Persistence is very worthwhile when you value the outcome.
