Living in Iowa, we have some pretty cold, long winter seasons.  During the winter, we have less daylight hours, frigid temperatures, snow, ice and powerful wind.  After several months of this, we sometimes get an early taste of spring… you know, the bright sunshine, warm temperatures, green grass, and leaf buds on some of the trees.  When these early “spring-like” days occur, we sometimes get so excited and carried away that we put away our winter coats and shuffle our winter wardrobe items to the back of the closet!  We may bury our snow shovels in the back of the garage and put our snow boots away.  All too often though, we have jumped the gun. In the back of our minds we know that winter can return, but we hide those feelings and prepare for spring anyway. Next thing you know, we wake up one morning with a return of cold temperatures, freezing rain, snow and the wind… wind strong enough to bring wind chills again.  We aren’t really surprised, just hopeful that it won’t last long this time! Recently, this glimpse of spring reminded me of how we need to persevere through “setbacks” and “challenges” as we forge ahead on our growth and improvement journey. This may seem like a stretch, but when it comes to the weather, we have the luxury of a proven calendar… in other words, we know spring is coming after winter – fact!  However, when we are charting our progress towards whatever goals we are shooting for, we have to rely more on our vision, plan, and faith to know that the best is yet to come.  Does this make sense? Maybe you are pursuing a weight loss goal or you are shooting for a big sales goal.  You start to see the results you are working so hard to achieve such as losing your first 5 or 10 pounds, or a great first quarter of sales and then… It is way too easy to get distracted, frustrated and discouraged enough to stop when you experience adversity.  You have to know and believe that success is coming if you persevere through your adversity and keep your eye on the “calendar” or goal.  You have to know that some “cold” days are coming on your way to “spring”, and that gaining a pound or two or a bad sales week or month are bound to happen.  These setbacks do not have to be the end of the road on your journey to success, and they don’t have to send you back to “winter”.     Working with a coach can be the key to preparing you for your success in a way that prepares you best for success. Learn how to win the head game that can help you overcome adversity and persevere.