Lessons in persistence from a rescue cat
Over and over again we hear that persistence is the key to success in life.
Go after your goals and don’t let anything get in your way.
There are many inspirational examples of people whose determination eventually led them to success, but I look to a different role model.
My cat.
Last May, my roommates took in a kitten they found on the street near our apartment.
He was tiny, scared, and malnourished when they found him, but Leonard has grown a strong spirit over the past few months.
He’s kind of a weird cat, and he has one persistent habit that annoys us every day: he will find and steal your food no matter what.
It doesn’t matter what you’re eating, where you are, or when he last ate.
I’ve even seen him grab a whole meatball out of someone’s pasta and run across the house with it.
His hunger is so great that he will go to any length just to get a taste of whatever’s nearby.
He’ll jump anywhere he has to and brave any danger. Any time an obstacle gets in his way, he eventually finds a way around it(usually after fifty or so tries.)
I think it’s because he’s in permanent survival mode after his time on the street.
Maybe he’s just naturally determined, though.
Whatever the reason, the second you turn your back on a plate of food Leonard will try to steal a bite or two.
Sometimes our backs don’t even have to be turned.
He’ll walk right up, look you in the eye, and take what he wants.
I’ve tried everything to get him to be stop.
No matter how many times I push him off the table, shut him away from where we eat, scold him, try to reason with him, or pray for deliverance, he keeps coming back to eat my food.
No obstacle ever deters him.
I know its kind of silly to project complex personality traits on to a cat, but I see the same sort of primal drive in him that seems to pull many entrepreneurs toward their goals.
Now that he’s getting bigger and healthier, he’s taking his drive to whole new levels.
Even though he’s made the simple act of eating lunch an ordeal, I still admire Leonard’s determined spirit.
He has a clearly defined goal — get food — and he will work to fulfill that goal every day no matter what happens.
If I applied that same persistence to everything I do I would probably be more successful.
The ability to go for your goals regardless of how many past failures you may have had is useful for anyone.
We can all probably learn from Leonard.
Thanks for reading! Clap if you’ve got an inspirational animal friend in your life.
As always, you can find me on twitter @JeremyCummings3 or on instagram @so.tall.im.in.space.
I’ll be going live with a website soon, so look out for that!
