Perseverance + Passion – The Makings of A Love Story

This is the week of love (Happy Valentine’s Day!), so I felt it only fitting that I should share about what drives me – what makes me go on – what causes me to persevere:

Perseverance is an amazing thing, that determination to finish what you started. But what causes us to persevere? What makes us go on even when others have given up or say it won’t work? What makes us able to stand alone, despite negativity thrown our way?

I know for me it is passion. It is a deep love for what I do and the lives that I touch whilst doing what I do. This passion is what drives me, what fuels my day – it is what moves me to act. To act even when others would not. To act even when others say I should not.

Passion is defined as “an intense emotion compelling feeling, enthusiasm, or desire for something”. Aside: did you know that the word passion comes from the ancient Greek verb pashko which means to suffer?

So is it that I have a deep love for cleaning? By no means! What I have is a deep love for serving people, for helping them.

When we first began this journey, we wanted to create a business where women in at-risk environments would be able to access an honest and safe means of financially supporting their families. So we began with staff in mind. But in the few months since we started so many things have changed, including the perspective. It’s not about staff – it’s about everyone!

We had a client - an older woman, she was over 90 and said she needed help at home. What we actually gave her was love and support in her final days. She told us over and over about her trips to Africa. She gave us endless stories about growing up in Tobago. She regaled us with the different escapades she enjoyed with friends, most of whom, had already passed away.

It was one of our girls who was with her when she collapsed. It was our girl who rushed her to the hospital. It was our girl who had to inform her relatives of her passing.

So we persevere. We hold on and take it one day at a time. Not for the finish line, not for the bottom line – but for the now. For every person whose life we can touch right now, for every family to whom we can minister. This is our passion. This is our great love. This is why we persevere.

For anyone who has just begun or is in the middle of a great journey – I will tell you to persevere. You never know whose life you will touch. Happy Valentine’s Day people!