Persistence Pays Off

I want to tell you about one of the coolest days of my teaching career, a day that is really at the foundation of all of my ambition.

I began my teaching career as a high school English instructor at Metamora High, a small but wonderful central Illinois community. I started teaching fresh out of college, and even though the kids I had those first few years still say nice things to me, I often wonder how we all survived. What 22 year old should really be mentoring an 18 year old, right? But we learned from one another.

In my 2^nd year of teaching, I wanted my American Lit students to read something non-fiction and contemporary for a change of pace (puke on The Scarlet Letter, sorry), so I chose a book that inspired me in my college years (you know, like a whole year before): Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom. I’m sure you know Mitch. He’s written a bunch of best sellers: The Five People You Meet in Heaven, For One More Day, Have a Little Faith, and more. He has his own radio show, does reports for ESPN, plays music (even with Stephen King before). In short, he has the kind of writing career that I only dream of at this point.

In 2003, I did something inspired by the great Dr. Kathy Whitson, one of my English professors from Eureka College. I recruited college students and residents of a local nursing home to join my high school students in reading and discussing Tuesdays With Morrie. In the book, Mitch learns that his favorite professor is dying because of ALS (Lou Gherig’s disease, the same terrible thing that took my father). Mitch goes to see Morrie for perhaps a final time, but it turns into regular visits on Tuesdays. They discuss everything: love, family, dying, money, and more. Mitch turned their heartfelt and insightful discussions into a book.

I wanted lots of different life perspectives, hence the invitation of college students and nursing home residents. It turned out great. We had fantastic discussions, and when we finished the book, I asked, “How should we celebrate?”

A student replied, “Invite the author to join us.”

Naïve and inexperienced, I said, “Okay. I will!”

After some research, I got in touch with Mitch’s agent or publisher or something. I told them of my proposal and the person told me, “Mitch would love to speak at your event. His speaking fee for a one day event is $30,000.”

I fell out of my chair. That was my teaching salary for that entire year.

With my head down, I told my students that Mitch would not be visiting our classes. One delightful young man spoke up and said, “Hey, don’t you remember what Morrie told Mitch about money and greed?”

Of course. But always the teacher, I replied, “Tell us what that was about again.”

“Morrie told Mitch we focus too much on the material, the next fancy car or new TV and not on people. Our focus should be on people. This isn’t right what Mitch is doing.”

I smiled and thought, you’ve earned an A, and then said, “What do you want to do about it?”

“Let’s write him a letter,” he said.

And so we did. We wrote over one hundred letters, one from each of my students. Out of respect for Mitch and perhaps embarrassment of my own young, naivety, I won’t tell you what some of them said. But I sure smiled when I sealed them in an envelope and sent them to the radio station where Mitch held his talk show.

A week later or so, I got a phone call. “Is this Mr. Chianakas?”

I swallowed hard. “Um, yes.”

“Mr. Chianakas, this is Mitch Albom calling. I got your letters.” I fell out of my chair. I don’t think I have ever heard such anger in a person’s voice. He was furious.

A wonderfully awkward thirty minutes later, we understood one another. First of all, it makes sense that celebrities aren’t going to be able to take every request from every person in the world. In most cases, such events happen due to a big sponsor in the community, someone willing to pay the $30,000 (which Mitch told me would only have been $20,000 actually since we were a non-profit). This was also back in 2003. I often wonder what the fees are now.

Anyway, we came to a mutual understanding. Mitch used the profits from Tuesdays to help pay Morrie’s medical bills. Far from a greedy guy, if you follow him still like I do, he does A TON of charity work. He’s successful, plain and simple, and we should celebrate that success, not criticize it.

At the end of the call, Mitch said, “I don’t like the idea of your students walking away from this book with a negative experience. Can I write a letter back? Maybe even send a video so I can explain?”

This was my moment. “Well, sir, I . . . I think you ought to come and explain that in person. That’s really the best way to do it.”

Do you know what he told me?

There was a moment of silence. And then Mitch said, “Okay.”

I fell out of my chair. I had been doing a lot of that in 2003. We worked out the specifics. He didn't charge any fee. He flew in to the Peoria airport on a private jet. I picked him up in the morning. We got breakfast. He hung out with all of my classes. I overheard a phone call where he was talking with his editor about the latest revisions to The Five People You Meet in Heaven (of which he gave me an advanced copy). He even did an all-school assembly where he told every student at Metamora High Morrie’s story.

Below: Watch a clip from Mitch's assembly, where I got to introduce him.

It was perhaps the best teaching day of my life.

At the end, I walked up to Mitch, humbled. I handed him my copy of Tuesdays With Morrie. I wanted an autograph, too. This is what we wrote in it: “To Joe—persistence pays off! Thanks for being a big man, and a great teacher. You honor Morrie’s legacy.”

Below: Watch Mitch get the biggest laugh of the day out of my students by making fun of me. But it's okay. He said something fantastic right after. Thanks, Mitch.

I have the book still. I tell this story occasionally. I think of Mitch’s statement that “persistence pays off” every single day.

It’s that energy that I used throughout my career, at the high school and now as a professor at Illinois Central College. It’s that determination and passion I thought of every day while trying to get my first book published. The rejection letters hurt, but every time someone told me no, I would take a deep breath, get out my notebook, and strategize how to move forward.

Never give up on your dreams. Maybe they will take years. Maybe they will take a lifetime. Maybe you’ll find yourself on your deathbed looking back thinking, “I wish I had done that.” As long as you’ve tried and tried and not given up, there will be no regrets.

Persistence pays off.

Get a copy of Joe's first novel, Rabbit in Red, here. You can learn more about Joe and the book by visiting his website at www.joechianakas.com or following on Facebook at www.facebook.com/chianakas. 

Success after Setbacks: On Overcoming Challenges and Pursuing Your Dreams

There is a ton of advice on accomplishing one’s dreams, and for good reasons: dreams and the pursuit of those dreams energize us and drive our human spirit forward. But nothing can be as disheartening as a setback. Notice, I won’t call it a failure. The only time you fail is if you quit, and setbacks can make us stronger.

If you’re a writer who has received a rejection letter, a dreamer who hasn’t (yet) landed that dream job, or any number of examples, you know what I mean. I’d like to share my strategies for overcoming setbacks.

Take a break

Most writers will agree that after you’ve written something, you need to step away from it for a few weeks to a few months. It’s easy to get excited about an idea or a finished piece of work, and we want to send it to the masses immediately. That’s ok, but if you receive the rejection letters, remember to take a break. There’s no need to immediately dive in and revise. Step away for a bit, and when you do return to your work, you’ll have fresh perspectives and make it even better than you thought it was originally.

The same can be said of many things. If you didn’t get the job of your dreams, many may tell you to work harder and keep at it. You should of course, but why not take a mental break from applications, interviews, and just from thinking about the damn thing. Give yourself a deadline; you don’t want to give up on your dreams. But if you’ve had several setbacks, perhaps it’s time for a two week vacation. Like in writing, you’ll come back and see new perspectives with a rejuvenated energy that may be exactly what you need to accomplish your goals.

Invest in a new creative project

I write a lot. You may act a lot, or draw a lot, or simply work a lot. We want to be successful in each of our goals, but sometimes to keep the creative juices freshly flowing, it helps to tackle a different kind of project. You’ll learn to use different creative aspects and you’ll find strategies that may help you with your biggest desires.

For example, if you’re an actor, why not try to direct a small show? If you’re a writer, why not try to draw (as bad as it could be) visual concepts for your work? Or if you are terrible at drawing (as I am), collaborate with an artist and help him or her discover the full concept of your vision. Don’t you think your vision will also be sharpened?

You could even learn something entirely new. Drop what you are doing, take that break (like my first idea), and learn something new: take a class on a musical instrument or take one semester of a foreign language at  your local college. It’s not a bad idea to browse your college’s catalog and find something different. Maybe a tai chi class will do the trick. We all need to move out of our comfort zones and explore diverse creative interests to strengthen the creativity we need for our current goals and projects.

Walk daily

Sound too easy? It is easy, but the payoffs are incredible. This is something I discovered this summer. I’m already an exercise fanatic. I hit the gym hard 4-5 times a week. But that’s my problem: I hit it hard and lose myself in the workouts. That’s great, and I think we all need that level of intensity too. But I wanted to add something simple that would let me think and get me out of the house, away from distractions and technology, and let my mind wonder. And while I certainly don’t mind a walk or hike with friends, I think you need to have some time alone too. It’s being alone, outdoors, and away from everything that opens the mind to new ideas.

So 5-6 days a week, I take a walk outside for 30-60 minutes, depending on the time I have available. I have two dogs, so they are benefiting from this idea too, but here’s the thing: I don’t look at my phone or computer during that time. I breathe fresh air. I walk in different directions. I try to find paths that inspire me. Sometimes I drive my car to a place I want to walk for different scenery. I think about my work, my writing, my relationships, and more. And almost every evening, I come home and immediately write down a few ideas that popped in my head. These ideas, I have no doubt, would not have developed if I had not taken time to just get the hell out of the house and walk and think and clear my mind from all other distractions. Try it for one week, and I promise it will be something you’ll want to do all the time.

Collaborate

Writing in particular is a lonely job, but when you are going for your dream job, you’re also on your own in that job interview. When you want something, talk to others who have accomplished the goals you are pursuing. It’s only common sense, but sometimes we are shy and don’t want to put ourselves out there.

When I applied for my college teaching position, I contacted the professors at the department in which I was applying. I asked if I could meet with them individually for a 30 minute chat and pick their brains about their work. I wanted to know about their daily routines, what they loved, their frustrations, and the work they did prior to landing my dream job. Those conversations helped, and I did get the job of my dreams. Each person had different perspectives, and I took time to think about all of their experiences and what I could bring to the table too.

I also practiced my interview. I asked friends and colleagues if they would give me a mock interview and provide genuine feedback to my answers. I took nothing for granted, and I wanted to be the absolute best. I’m convinced it’s those steps that landed me my dream job. And now I have to repeat those steps with each new goal, like connecting with other writers, learning about publication, and finding a circle of readers I trust to give me raw feedback on the work I want to succeed.

Create your success story

Finally, I do think we all need confidence from our previous accomplishments. This step is like building a resume, but I think of it as more personal than that. It’s your life narrative, the accomplishments you’ve made, the steps you took to get there, and the methods in which you overcame previous setbacks.

Here are a few of mine, very early in my teaching career. Each one had setbacks.

When applying for my first teaching job, it was obvious the superintendent at the high school where I had applied wanted a coach. I’m not a coach. I don’t have much of an organized sports record. But I won him over by demonstrating my love of that particular school. You have to show that you really love the place where you want to be. I did several things to make this happen, and after my interview, he told a colleague, “Joe’s passion for our school and community is unmatched.”

In my second year of teaching, I convinced a world-wide best-selling author, who normally charges $30,000 to visit schools and speak, to attend my classes for free. That was awesome. You have to understand that of course he said no at first. I was not willing to accept that. It took an incredible amount of persistence, but I  talked best-selling author Mitch Albom into visiting with all of my classes and speaking at my high school.

I took a small after-school martial arts program and built it up to national recognition: We won Black Belt Magazine’s Best Children’s Program in the United States award in 2008. The key to that success was commitment and collaboration. There were semesters in which I had only a few students. I didn't let that stop my enthusiasm. By the end of my leadership of that program, we have over one hundred students involved.

Those were accomplishments all very early in my career, and there are others more meaningful to me from recent years. I tell all of these stories when pursuing a new goal. I tell them to myself first, as a reminder of what can be done. And you don’t have to win any national awards to build your story. Start with the projects, the jobs, and the people you’ve worked with: How did you better the world around you? And how will the accomplishment of your current goal better the world too? That’s the story you learn, and that’s the story you tell to those who will listen.

You’ll conquer all of your dreams, and I will too. It takes a high level of confidence with the highest level of humility. Believe in yourself, and work your ass off.  No great reward is earned without great work.

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