How determined are you to succeed in something you believe in - Viewpoint - careers advice blog Viewpoint careers advice blog

How determined are you to succeed in something you believe in - Viewpoint - careers advice blog I like the underground station near my office. The manager there plays classical music to sooth us stressed commuters and posts helpful and inspiring messages on a whiteboard to get us thinking.   I particularly liked the one that read, “If Plan “A” doesn’t succeed, remember there are 25 other letters in the alphabet”.   Arguably, you might be justified in giving up by the time you reach Plan “Z”, or at least come to the conclusion it’s time to rethink the strategy by the time you get to Plan “M”, but the real message here is “don’t give up”, especially if it is something you passionately believe in. Mimi This philosophy came home to me late last year when I embarked on a mammoth journey to rescue a cat. The story started when, on holiday for a long weekend in the South of France, I found a stray kitten abandoned under a car.  My French neighbours told me it had been there for a month.  Terrified, starving and crying, I couldn’t leave it there â€" suddenly I found myself “taking responsibility”. With only one day to go before I left France, I found a vet, had Mimi micro-chipped and vaccinated, obtained a Pet Passport and bought up half the local supermarket’s cat food and cat litter to give to a new-found kind English neighbour who offered to temporarily look after her until she could have her rabies jab and I could come back for her. With the new ability to have a pet passport, it all sounded straightforward to bring her back to London, until I realised that none of the budget airlines take pets and, as a foot passenger, you also can’t take an animal on a coach, on Eurostar or on any ferry that departs from Calais. Plans A, B, C and D were shelved. Undeterred, I embarked on Plan E a 900 mile journey home that took 30 hours and involved twelve changes of transport a car, three taxis, five trains, the metro in Paris, a four hour ferry crossing from Dieppe, the underground in London â€" oh, and an unscheduled hotel stop. Looking back, I am amazed I did it. However, it got me thinking â€" if you want to do something badly enough, you find a way: here are a few tips: 1) Don’t give up: Where there is a will, there is a way. It just takes perseverance and a bit of lateral thinking. 2) Break down something complicated into manageable steps. Thinking about a 900 mile journey from Montpellier to London was daunting. Breaking it into several stages made it seem easier. 3)  Concentrate on one stage at a time. Recognise that accomplishment. Tick each stage off as you go, so you can see what you have achieved. Crossing Paris on the metro with Mimi was the part of the journey I was most dreading â€" ticking it off the travel itinerary was a great feeling. 4)  Be  prepared for all eventualities   I carried extra sachets of cat food and a toothbrush, just in case I didn’t make it in a day. As it happened, I needed them. 5)  Be creative  â€" my biggest worry was how Mimi would manage to go to the toilet. A cat litter tray was too big to carry but I got round it by buying aluminium foil baking trays and bagging up small quantities of cat litter that fitted in my tiny suitcase â€" a “disposable cat toilet system” that worked very well! 6)  Keep your vision of your end-goal in sight  â€" when the going gets tough, you need to focus on that goal you are determined to achieve. In my case, if I didn’t rescue this little cat, she would have starved on the street. The trials of the journey home were worth it. 7)  Talk to people  â€" when they know you are passionate about something it rubs off. People are usually willing to help, offer advice or think of something you haven’t thought of. They also keep you company, cheer you up, encourage you and enjoy seeing you succeed. I met some great people on my journey. 8)  Keep a sense of humour  â€" it is very important to keep life in perspective. Having explained my journey’s goal and persuaded the “no pets normally allowed” hotel to let me have a room with my “well behaved” rescue cat, I woke up to find the floor covered with cat litter that my kitten had played with all night. My sense of humour was definitely needed as I cleared it all up on my hands and knees. 9)  Don’t be deterred if the end-game isn’t exactly the way you imagined it  â€" sometimes you have to make a few allowances, slightly change the stages or compromise as you go. I naively had visions of Mimi curling up with my elderly dog who loved cats and who I thought would act as a surrogate “mum”. It turned out Mimi really didn’t like Meg at all… 10)  Finally, take a moment to reflect back: what went well, what would you improve or do differently, what have you learned, what have you achieved.  In my case, if I ever find another stray cat, I might just drive…. Oh, and by the way, Mimi was amazing throughout the journey, is safe and well and has a permanent and loving home for life. Share this blog: Want to progress in your career? Our career progression tips will help you get to where you want to be