Persistence

Alright, so here we are. Monday Message. It’s another beautiful day. I love spring and summer because I love to be able to hang out here in my backyard. You can hear the birds chirping in the background, and it’s kind of nice to get to hang out in the early mornings, drink a cup of coffee, think about the company, think about our vision and where we’re headed, what we’re doing.

In these last few weeks, I’ve written on this subject before. I have somewhere in a stack of papers that I’ve written a story or two on the subject of a rock and how a river’s persistence cuts through it. The quote goes like this: “A river cuts through rock not because of its power but because of its persistence.”

“A river cuts through rock not because of its power but because of its persistence.”

Now, rivers are still powerful, but if you’ve ever been to a river, maybe even up at Hood River or something along those lines, and you’ve seen a big rock hanging out off the side of a riverbank, you see how it curves into the rock. The water comes around the bend and it’s just kind of cut away that rock. It’s kind of an interesting and majestical thing.

In these last couple of weeks, I got to do a little trail hike with about 10 or 12 kids and a few dads. I got together and put a little hike together for a bunch of the boys and their dads. We went up and hiked Horsetail Falls, and right there, there are some rocks that are worn away from where the waterfall comes down and things like that, the trail itself. It was interesting to hear the boys and some of my boys talking about how the trail was put into place and that they even took notice of those things. I think when I was a kid, I never took notice of the amount of work it takes to build something, even like a trail on a hike.

It’s an interesting thing as you’re building a company and you’re an entrepreneur. The amount of work that goes in behind the scenes and our core values matter: be valuable because nothing else will do, have humility, be transparent, be invested, put service above self, have the resolve to continue, and keep at it. We all like to eat cake, but it’s a really powerful thing to think about the movement of persistence even when times are tough, even when you’re coming up against something like a huge mountain-sized boulder. Through persistence, you can get through it as long as you don’t quit which goes back to resolve.

As long as you don’t quit, and if you’re persistent with what you do, you can accomplish almost anything.

That’s important. As we’re going through this week, let’s be persistent. For you personally, think about your life as you’re moving into summer. Be persistent with what you’re trying to do. Think about what got you started. Sometimes life has a way of really wearing us down, and I get it. But if you are persistent and you go back to why you started this thing, why you started that college class, why you started taking those classes, why you did this thing or that thing, whatever it is, why did you begin. Sometimes that will help spark that interest back in you to keep moving forward.

Be persistent because even that boulder, no matter how big it is, no matter what is in your way, through your persistence, you can get through it.

I know it’s hard, but you can do it. Just like with my little boy, David. We were on that hike, and he made the first couple of hills, no problem. The first climb he did pretty good, but as we stopped, we took a breath, we got some pictures taken, we went down to a bridge, we saw some more waterfalls, and then there was another climb, another set of hills, and he was like, “I don’t think I can do it, my legs.” He’s five, correction, six. He’s six years old. I remember being six. Well, it was like 200 and something years ago, but I still remember it. It’s tough being young and not knowing if there’s an end in sight. That’s a lot like what we go through. But you have to be persistent, and I kept telling him because I’ve been there.

That’s another cool thing is having mentors, having people around you that’ve been there. As I was hiking, I’m like, “David, one foot in front of the other. Just keep your eyes on the path. Keep moving, you will get there. You’ll do just fine.” It reminded me of being in the Marine Corps, long hikes up and down hills at Camp Pendleton. It’s just keep your head down, one step in front of the other. Before you know it, 25 miles are gone.

Alright, guys, God bless you. I want you to have a wonderful week. As we’re moving into this summer, as we’re moving forward in Northwest Enforcement and all the great things that are happening, I just want you to know how proud of you we are. I want to say thank you for your persistence and your continued efforts moving forward. Have a wonderful week. Talk to you later. Bye, see you.