Tim Hague - Perseverance: The Seven Skills You Need to Survive, Thrive, and Accomplish More Than You Ever Imagined

WE ALL HAVE AN IDEA of what perseverance means, but it was only relatively late in life that I really came to understand it.

Our North American culture often tells us that we should look, feel, and be successful. Yet any success Ive had has come only after significant ordeals, and rarely did I ever feel successful along the way. But Ive learned to persevere. This is an important point to hold on to: perseverance can be learned. We can grow in our ability to withstand difficult times. We can learn to push forward in the face of failure. We can develop the determination to keep slogging ahead until we reach that remarkable day when someone in our life points out how lucky weve been.

Its funny how so many of those who work hard and simply stay in the game get lucky. Without a doubt, many successful people will tell you that theyve experienced lots of luck in their journey. Thats because they stayed on the journey. They never quit. They learned to persevere.

Ive been forced, specifically by Parkinsons disease, to learn simplicity within perseverance. Ive come to see that I cant do it all, that at times I do need a hand, and that I certainly cant control every outcome in life. Although that sounds like a lot of things I cant do, Ive learned that I can pay better attention, focus carefully, and end up accomplishing more. And as I find that there are things I can control, my character is deepened and I discover contentment.

Perseverancea great big long word thats often attached to difficulties. Yet if we learn its lessons our lives will be deeper, richer, and more vibrant than we ever imagined.

Jenna was ten when her father was diagnosed with Parkinsons at the age of fifty. Unlike most ten-year-olds, she understood the gravity of the diagnosisand set herself to doing something about this thing that had attacked her dad. When she learned that funds were needed to help people live well with the disease and to spur on research for a cure, she decided to help those who could help her dad. Five years later, Jennas Toonies for Tulips campaign is going strong; shes raised more than $50,000 for Parkinsons. (In Canada, a toonie is the two-dollar coin.)

Jenna is the daughter of a good friend of mine. Im continually amazed and inspired by her work for Parkinsons; shes a constant reminder of the simplicity of what it is I want to do with my life. Like Jenna, I want to help. Whether its her dad or others like him, I want to see people lifted above the misery of their circumstances and inspired to live their best.

Hence this book. My greatest desire in writing it is to shine a light deep into peoples souls and convince them that there is a better way. Throughout the book Ill provide practical steps, but my first goal is to help us see the bright reality of what can be. Then we can set ourselves on the course to that reality.

Later Ill discuss how this journey is best traveled with others. Ive learned that I cant make it on my own; instead, Ive experienced the best of life in community. The most important members of mine are my family. At the age of fifty-two Im a husband of thirty-two years to my lovely wife, Sheryl. We have four incredible children (two boys, two girls), a beautiful daughter-in-law, and one of Gods greatest gifts to humankind, a granddaughter.

By profession, I am a nurse. I reside in that unique minority of males who make up roughly five percent of the profession. This is my chosen career, or at least the one I backed into. By passion, I am a writer, speaker, founder of a charity, entrepreneur, runner, and follower of Christ. These are the many important adjectives that describe who I am. Not listed in any particular order.

Then theres that pesky little friend named Parkinsons, which came into my life at a comparatively early age and which allows me to call myself patient, client, advocate, and fighter. I have a complex relationship with this friend. I love much of what Parkinsons has brought me, while hating it and specifically its symptoms. Its a disease that typically afflicts individuals over the age of sixty. Seldom is it a bother to those under fifty, with only about ten percent of the Parkinsons population diagnosed before the mid-century mark. I was forty-six.

Parkinsons is a progressive nerve disease of the brain that in time leads to a debilitation of a persons motor functions. In other words, you can no longer control the movements of your body. The individual with Parkinsons loses the important ability to produce a chemical called dopamine, leading to the classic symptoms of tremor, stiffness, slowness, and loss of balance. Along with myriad lesser-known evils referred to as non-motor symptoms.

Not all lottery wins are good things, and Im not particularly happy about having won this one. But although my new best friendwhom I hatehas brought a certain level of grief into my life, it also played a direct role in my next lottery win.

At Sheryls urging, my son Tim Jr. and I applied to appear on The Amazing Race Canada. We had little expectation of hearing back. But Sheryl was certain wed get an interview; theyll be intrigued, she said, by my Parkinsons diagnosis. Naturally, she was right.

Running that race has changed everything. Its not only taught me valuable lessons in how to persevere but also allowed me the opportunity to pursue my passions.

Winning was incredible, of course. The trips, the prizes, the cashit was all more exciting than words can describe. Yet my passions have never had much to do with things. As a nurse, it was always my desire to care for individuals. Early on, as a youth pastor, I wanted to help students find their way in life. Since then Sheryl and I have been involved with a number of charities and community organizations, and the race has given us the chance to pursue these activities with renewed vigor. It, and Parkinsons, have led to many exciting adventures that I wouldnt have otherwise thought possible, from the founding of our charity, U-Turn Parkinsons, to the development of a speaking career that has taken me around the globe.