It's the dogs I feel for!

Doggedness is a quality: “Great determination to do something, even if it is very difficult”.

Dogs were never asked if we could play around with an example of their defining word: ‘dog!’. We just assumed we owned the words. The dogs see it differently; they see it as a lack of respect and think it is appalling how they are being treated especially the omission of a Capital D.

I think they (the dogs) expected a long-form blog about the trials and tribulations of a typical day in the life of a dog and all the good things they do eg barking, eating, licking and sleeping as well as having to go on walks, which they often do when it’s inconvenient for them but ideal for the gaffer; we could go on but…

It needs to be pointed out that, in fact, this blog is about being Dogged, which will infuriate our four-legged friends! We are here to highlight the value of being Dogged.

Dogged is a word that lacks elegance however it, definitely, has an important role.

Some of the main attributes of being dogged:

-       Very determined

-       Doesn’t give up

-       Deals with difficulty

-       Stays in for the long run

The capacity to keep going during difficult times is admirable. Having the willpower to continue to strive despite challenges is an asset that can be applied across many scenarios.  Obviously, there are certain circumstances where it would be naïve to get involved with known dangerous situations unless it’s your hobby of choice to skydive off a huge mountain with only yourself and a bit of kit to survive the landing!

The example above is probably in the ‘that is a bit extreme’ department and therein is the beauty of personal choice, we individually decide what is dangerous and too risky. Being dogged about something that has meaning to you, is probably worth pursuing and the more important it is the more perseverance will be attached to it.  

Have you ever pondered on the importance of sticking in there when things get tough, do you run away or deal with the matter? I guess it depends on the severity of the situation. It's typically these scenarios that generate some of our most powerful learning opportunities. When we reach self-reliance we can be duped into believing that is the pinnacle of our capabilities and as such there is the potential to 'just coast'!

Alternatively we can roll up our sleeves and get stuck in, attempting to push the boundaries and extend our perseverance threshold a tad more; if something is that important to us surely it is worth having a go to see if we have one last shot in us?

So, the question is do we stick in there when something is difficult and tough or do we run away, put things off or draw on the well known tactic of procrastination?

We all have challenges when trying to achieve something of value to us, how we react and deal with matters will shape our outcomes, the importance of being dogged comes into it’s own during these situations.

Each endeavour we face will have specific guides around when to stop/give up but if we believe something is worthy then being persistent to achieve it is admirable.

How about you? When matters become tough do you run away, hide, put ‘things’ off, let things fester or do you address the situation? These things can be seen as huge significant challenges or with a bit more perspective, perhaps they are more doable than we thought.

When we face tough situations we have a few options:

-       Ignore or Review

-       Hide or Unpick

-       Deny   or Own

-       Blame or Solve

-       Etc  or Etc

I guess it depends on the nature of the challenge; do we roll our sleeves up and get stuck in or do we accept defeat and disappear?

Perseverance is a skill, which is great news for those of us who thought we may have to deal with a trait, which can be much trickier to navigate. Therefore, we have a decent chance of becoming more competent, effective and likely to push the boundaries.

The appeal of being 'dogged' doesn’t seem to get the respect others in their category receive eg perseverance, tenacity, relentlessness; maybe it’s time to value and appreciate the work of being ‘Dogged’.

I don’t want to bark up the wrong tree but it seems appropriate that being Dogged can bring out the best in us.

Perception | Potential | Performance