Tenacity

- Reirani Taurima
Tenacity- Blue background, silhouetted image of person pushing boulder up a hill

Tenacity was the theme of our last issue of The Voicemonkey Dispatch. It seems to be the theme of the Year in fact!

Tenacity is defined in many ways, usually referring to “sticking with something even when the going gets tough”. However, it’s also qualified as a state of being.

We often think of tenacious people as brash, overwhelming, or aggressive types, and indeed those are synonymous in many dictionary definitions. It’s not the whole picture though.

Tenacity is something positive!

We recently had Jennifer Hale in Class #53 of Steve’s Teaching Series, and she was quite simply amazing. She spoke into tenacity in her own way when a student asked her: “What are some habits, rituals or traits that you would personally attribute to your success?”

“Grit and the ability to spot where I need to heal so I can be a more effective human being”. – Jennifer Hale

Having “grit” combined with healing oneself, like yin and yang, dark and light, results in our evolution. We grow and change and develop an even greater capacity to handle what life throws at us the next time.

You need “Grit” to be Tenacious!

Going back to what Jennifer said about “Grit”, let’s think about that concept when applied to sandpaper. The higher the “grit” the faster and better it can do its job – sanding away rough edges. If you apply that to your own life, having a high “grit” value enables you to better tackle the rough edges of what life throws at you.

Grit allows you to work into those edgy moments rather than letting their sharpness cause you to let go and give up. To hold on to your dream no matter what. To smooth things out for yourself, faster and more efficiently each time.

When you don’t give up, and instead keep going no matter what – you become tenacious.

The other side of that, the lighter (yin) side, involves our evolving. Jennifer referred to it as “healing in order to become a more effective human being”. If we apply this again to our sandpaper analogy, it means that your life becomes a better, more effective “sculpture” because your grit has helped to shape, smooth and better define it.

Beautiful sculptures take a lot of work.

Moving through difficulties and becoming better at handling what life throws at you, without reacting negatively, being triggered, regressing into old patterns, giving up, etc. That’s the healing that Jennifer was referring to.

Can you develop Tenacity?

Absolutely! Everyone is already born with it! You wouldn’t have finally learned to ride that bike as a kid if not. Anything that’s required you to hold on to a goal without letting go, while simultaneously experiencing not having it, has required you to be tenacious!

The last eighteen months of uncertainty, fear, and edginess in our world – and the fact we’re still here, still “going for it” is a demonstration of our collective tenacity!

Can you build on that? To become even more capable of handling edginess? Of course! Just like a muscle you can build your ability by using the “weights” that life has and is throwing at you. It is from the edgy and difficult circumstances that we shape and evolve ourselves. Not the avoidance of them.

Grit + Healing

I wish all of us a high “grit” value as we continue to navigate these challenging and rough patches we find ourselves in. Especially now, with so much “edginess” around us in the world, and so many new obstacles being thrown our way.

also wish us  the ability to appreciate ourselves as we re-shape accordingly, and become better, more effective (smoother!) versions of who we were before. It is what this life is really all about.

To your continued shaping and evolution, both in your career and in your relationships!

Arohanui (Big Love),

Reirani

For some further reading on how Tenacity can further your career – here’s an excellent article from Brian De Haaf via INC.com

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