Have you ever found yourself deeply questioning whether you’re on the right path? That moment when despite your best efforts, progress feels painfully slow, rejections keep coming, and you wonder if you’re missing something fundamental that others seem to grasp effortlessly?

I had exactly this experience in the early stags of my first creative business when I began reaching out to prestigious venues and planners, hoping to be included on their preferred vendor lists. Every response landed with the same disappointing thud – polite but firm rejections. Email after email, call after call, meeting after meeting when I could secure them.

In those moments, it would have been entirely reasonable to conclude that perhaps my business simply wasn’t suited for that level of client. That I should focus on smaller projects or different venues entirely.

But there was something in me that kept pushing forward. Not blind stubbornness, but a genuine belief in what I was creating and the value it could bring.

The Turning Point That Changed Everything

Instead of retreating, I kept refining my approach. I studied what the venues and planners were working with. I invested in improving my portfolio with smaller projects that showcased the exact style and quality I wanted to be known for.

And then finally, one venue took a chance on me.

It wasn’t the biggest or most prestigious on my list, but it represented a meaningful step up. I recognised it for what it was – not just a project, but an opportunity to prove myself.

I poured everything into that client, treating it as if it were at the most exclusive venue in the country. We over-delivered in every possible way, stayed late ensuring perfection, and followed up with everyone involved afterward.

That single client became my biggest advocate. They recommended me to other venues, to planners they knew, to clients seeking similar offerings. What had started as a small opportunity transformed into something profoundly bigger.

Looking back, I can see clearly that if I had stopped after the first ten rejections, or even the first fifty, none of the success that followed would have happened. The breakthrough came only because I persisted past the point where many would have reasonably given up.

The Hidden Pattern Behind Meaningful Success

This pattern reveals itself everywhere in business when you know what to look for. Take our podcast journey as another example. It took nearly 50 episodes – almost a full year – before the recording process stopped filling me with anxiety. Each week brought the same nervousness, the second-guessing, the wonder if what I had to share would be valuable enough.

There were countless weeks when I didn’t want to record. During the festive season, we discussed taking a break – a completely valid option since listenership naturally dips during that busy period. But something kept pulling me forward, a sense that consistency mattered deeply.

Around episode 75, something shifted fundamentally. What had once been a source of stress transformed into something I genuinely looked forward to. The process that had once felt draining became energising.

When Different Approaches Make All the Difference

What’s particularly interesting is how I found the right approach for me. Many experts I consulted advocated for batching episodes – recording several at once for efficiency. This advice makes complete sense, and I tried it diligently.

But I discovered that recording week-by-week makes the podcast feel more alive, more responsive to what’s happening in real-time. I can incorporate current observations, questions that arise, and discoveries that feel relevant in the moment.

This weekly recording transformed the experience from something that occasionally felt like a chore into a meaningful conversation I get to have with you. The nervousness gave way to genuine enthusiasm.

Recognising Worth-It Discomfort

How do you know when pushing through discomfort will lead to growth versus when it’s a sign something truly isn’t working? This distinction is crucial, and over time, I’ve identified several reliable indicators:

Productive discomfort often comes with a distinctive quality – a mixture of nervousness and excitement. You feel challenged, perhaps even anxious, but underneath runs a current that something worthwhile is happening. This differs markedly from the heavy, depleting feeling that signals a fundamental mismatch.

Another powerful sign is incremental improvement. When you look back over weeks or months, can you identify small ways you’ve improved? Are tasks requiring slightly less time or energy? Are you handling challenges with a bit more ease? These subtle shifts often precede breakthrough moments.

Your ability to connect current challenges to a larger purpose matters tremendously. When discomfort feels meaningful – when you can see how persisting serves something important to you – it’s usually worth continuing. This connection to purpose builds resilience through difficult periods.

Finally, external feedback provides valuable perspective. Are others responding positively to your work, even when you’re feeling uncertain about it? This mismatch – where you feel unsure but others see value – often indicates you’re on the right track but still developing confidence.

Building Your Persistence Framework

If persistence is so crucial, how do we work towards it practically? I’ve found that having an intentional framework makes the difference between giving up and breaking through:

1. Create meaningful metrics beyond comfort. When comfort becomes your measure of success, every challenging day feels like failure. Instead, track consistency (did you show up?), improvement (are you getting better, even slightly?), and learning (what insights did you gain?).
2. Build the right support system. Find people who understand what you’re building – who recognise that struggle is normal and necessary. Having someone who can remind you that what you’re experiencing is expected when you’re convinced something’s wrong can transform your perspective.
3. Document small wins consistently. Our brains naturally focus on problems and overlook progress. By intentionally recording steps forward – a positive client comment, a challenge overcome, a skill improved – you create evidence of growth you can revisit when things feel difficult.
4. Connect daily work to your larger vision. It’s easy to lose momentum when immersed in routine tasks. Regularly reminding yourself how today’s challenging work connects to your broader purpose creates resilience when motivation wavers.
5. Find your authentic approach within best practices. As I discovered with podcast recording, sometimes the perceived “right way” doesn’t align with your strengths. The most sustainable path works with your natural tendencies while maintaining professionalism.

The Courage to Continue

When I reflect on how my business grew from small local projects to international ones with significant budgets, I see that each step built on the previous one in ways impossible to skip.

My first overseas project came after years establishing a solid local reputation. I remember the mixture of excitement and feeling completely out of my depth – the logistics alone seemed overwhelming. But I applied this framework: defining success as delivering quality rather than feeling comfortable, leaning on my supportive team, documenting each challenge we overcame, connecting to our larger purpose, and finding approaches that leveraged our strengths.

That project’s success led to others, and I watched my business progress from handling £1,000 projects to £10,000 projects to £100,000 projects and eventually to £500,000 projects. Each tier required new skills, systems, and confidence – but each built upon what came before.

The key insight? Trying to leap directly from a £10,000 project to a £500,000 one would have been disastrous. The incremental growth wasn’t just about project size but about developing the capacity to handle them successfully.

If you’re facing challenges right now – whether in an established business or one you’re just building – consider that the discomfort itself might not signal something’s wrong. It might indicate you’re doing necessary work, developing essential skills, having crucial conversations that will eventually lead exactly where you want to go.

Your willingness to move through challenges rather than away from them might be the most valuable business skill you’ll ever develop.

I’d love to hear about your experiences with persistence. What challenges have you pushed through that ultimately led to breakthroughs? Where are you currently finding the courage to continue? Share your thoughts in the comments below or connect with me on Instagram.