“Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14 NIV

With half of 2022 behind us, are you still striving to accomplish the goals you set out to attain or have they fallen by the wayside. Well, if the pursuit of your goals has waned, I hope this blog post will serve as a source of encouragement to reinvigorate you to stay the course or get back on the saddle again—be tenacious. So, what does it mean to be tenacious? Merriam-Webster defines tenacious as being persistent in maintaining, adhering to, or seeking something valued or desired. I subscribe to John Maxwell’s “Minute with Maxwell,” and recently the word for the day was “tenacity.” Maxwell is a globally recognized leadership expert who describes tenacity as no matter how much opposition you face, keep showing up. He states, “People who are most successful are not necessarily the smartest people, but the most tenacious.”

I am a witness that some goals seem unattainable or simply impossible; however, whatever you are purposed for may come with more than one attempt. Don’t simply give up after a failure—be persistent; be tenacious. I am currently reading the late Congressman John Lewis’ book titled, Across That Bridge. In the book’s introduction, Lewis states, “I have been rejected, hated, oppressed, beaten, jailed, and have almost died only to live another day. I have witnessed betrayal, corruption, bombing, lunacy, conspiracy, and even assassination and I still kept marching on. Despite every attempt to keep me down, I have not been shaken. I held on to my faith so that today I am blessed to see so many of the changes in this world that we dreamed would take shape.” Did you apply for a job, but was found underqualified/overqualified? Try again. Did you apply for a loan and was rejected? Improve your credit score and try again. Did you fail the exam? Study harder and try again. Did your relationship fail? Dust yourself off, heal the wounds, and try again.

In an article titled, “Why You Need Tenacity in Your Life,” Bill Abbate offers several things to work on to build tenacity:

• Set clear goals.
• Manage your thinking.
• Develop a vision for what you want.
• Learn from mistakes—both yours and others.
• Become a leader in your life and of others.
• Never allow the fear of failing to control you.
• Never give up or quit on your dreams.
• Find the benefits in adversity.
• Surround yourself with tenacious people.
• Stand in reality.
• Reject mediocrity.
• Change expectations to intensions.
• Aim high!

Remember, adversity is all part of the process—be tenacious; keep persisting and persevering. When once you fail, try and try again. When your dreams and visions seem impossible, remember John Maxwell’s words, “No matter how much opposition you face, keep showing up.” I challenge you to place the word “tenacity” on a Post-It Note and place it everywhere you spend time. When you feel like giving up, that word will be staring right at you telling you to get up and try again. Wishing you all a wonderful summer!

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