For 26 years, I worked for a major corporation in Toronto, Ontario. While I had a wonderful career working with some great people, for the last five years of that career I found myself wanting a change. However, my financial circumstances did not allow me to leave my job. 

But, I had my goals - to own our own small business, to live in the country, basically to change our lifestyle. But, of course, I faced challenges in achieving these goals. I can't tell you how many times I felt frustrated. I felt like I was going further away from my goals rather than moving towards them. 

Our original goal to change our lifestyle was based on a two-year plan. Without going into the detail of the setbacks, that two-year plan turned into a reality taking five years. So how did we survive those three years of setbacks? 

We never lost focus on our goals. Even though the time frame changed, we kept taking the actions shown in our plan. 

- In my case, on my desk in my office, a place that I did not want to be, I kept a quote that I would read every day - "Enjoy where you are at, while you are waiting to get to where you want to be!"- That quote reminded me to stay positive, not to become depressed about my situation. My goals, even with the setbacks, gave me hope and determination. 

- I would often visualize what it would be like if I was living my goals rather than working towards them. With every positive mental picture, it reinforced that my goals could be a reality. 

Finally, five years later, our goal became a reality. We quit our jobs in Toronto, we bought a house in the country, and we moved to Clairville, NB. And, we started our small business. I no longer needed to keep looking at the saying, "Enjoy where you are at, while you are waiting to get to where you want to be!" 

We were where we wanted to be - in the country, running our own small business. There was just one problem. Our small business was not generating enough income to support us. The first year in business, our small business cost us more money than it made. With our savings dwindling, we knew we had two choices:

1. go back to  work for someone else, or, 

2. make our small business profitable.

With 26 years of working for a large corporation, we did not want to go back to work for someone else. We were determined to make our small business profitable. 

There was one day in particular, I will always remember, I was feeling a bit down, almost defeated. I was updating the website and came across a quote. As I read the quote, I realized I could do it. The quote, that pulled me out of my slump, goes like this: 

"PERSISTENCE - "persistence prevails when all else fails."

We remember reflecting back on our previous two-year goal that ended up being a five-year goal. We were persistent then, we just need to be persistent now. So we took a step back, we reassessed what and how we were running our small business. 

We changed, we worked hard and long, but we are happy to say that our small business is now generating an income for us. Our work is now displayed at many stores across Atlantic Canada, at the cruise ship booth located at the Port of Saint John. 

My point in sharing our story with you is that no matter what your goals are, no matter what setbacks you face, never lose your focus on your goals. Achieving goals can become your reality. It may take some changes, and it will take some work, but if you stick with them, taking action, if you are persistent, you can achieve them. We are living proof. quis.