I put in long hours today job-searching, writing to contacts, getting a rejection for a design project, and trying to see if I could jump rope for longer than 60 seconds at a time.

(Of course the happy ending to this story would be if I told you that at 5:29 p.m. the phone rang with a job offer better than I’d ever expected, one of the other agents to whom I’d submitted my designs wrote back to extend a contract offer, and I didn’t even break a sweat after jump-roping for half and hour.)

None of the above happened today.

However, the GOOD news is that after all the above I can now…

1). Do 20 minutes of jump-roping in intervals, including inserting a few criss-cross moves and a few backwards jumps (try it – it’s harder than you think)

2.) Touch my toes (knees completely straight) for the first time in forever, since I never feel like I have time to stretch

AND

3.) I pushed myself to do the architecture-inspired pendant sketch below, even though I was feeling discouraged, cranky and tired:

My Inspiration:

Photo of NY Lamp Post Near Riverside Drive Taken by Joana Miranda

The Sketch:

Pencil Sketch of Scroll-Work Pendant by Joana Miranda Inspired by NY Lamp Post

What’s the power of perseverance?

It’s the key to being able to hold your head high, your back a little straighter, and to have genuine sympathy for the guy who takes you by surprise inside CVS drugstore asking if you can spare a little change.  It’s the knowledge that you got through today, and that tomorrow might just bring another email, a possible phone call, renewed energy and maybe even the ability to jump-rope for 25 minutes of intervals.