Sticktoitiveness

I don’t believe there is such a word as “Sticktoitiveness,” but my old mentor Dr. Robert Holland made it up and said it was the most important ingredient in life.   Nothing of lasting importance ever happens without sticktoitiveness, the ability to “stick with it.”

Last week I read a great article that tells a story really demonstrating this quality.  Construction began on the La Sagrada Familia, a famous basilica in Barcelona and “one of Europe’s most popular  tourist attractions,” in 1882. Not sure how long they thought it would take to complete this architectural masterpiece, but it’s still not done, and won’t be complete until 2026, 13 years from now and a full 144 years after construction began!

Antoni Gaudi, the original architect of the basilica, was known as “God’s architect.” He is quoted in the article as saying of the basilica, which was only one-quarter completed at his death in 1926, “my client is in no hurry.”

How good are we at sticking to it?  It takes sticktoitiveness to keep a marriage intact, to raise a child, to chase a dream or to build a life.   In the book of Hebrews, the author talks about the importance of “perseverance” in life and faith: “Let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, with our eyes kept on Jesus.”   

Don’t quit, don’t ever quit.   Remember, our client is in no hurry.