Surviving pandemics, economic turbulence, career uncertainty, and other stresses in our current world make me think of us all clinging to the side of a cliff, hoping to avoid impending doom. We seem to feel inclined to just hang on, just survive, or just “get through.” We tend to not even think that thriving is an option when life changes course without our permission. Is that our reality, or can we find a skill that allows us to thrive and not just survive?
The Art of Tenacity
Tenacity is defined by a few key words and concepts:
Instead of focusing on stubbornly “hanging on” or choosing to be constantly on the go, try staying connected, stop reacting, and decide to stay. The Art of Tenacity emerges when you know yourself well enough to understand your limits and make conscious choices about your environment, your abilities, and you.
Let’s make sure we clearly outline what The Art of Tenacity is not. The Art of Tenacity is
Do not confuse stubbornness with tenacity, for the former is blind to reason while the latter has no reason to be blind. ― Craig D. Lounsbrough
Staying Connected
The Art of Tenacity requires that we stay connected and stay in touch with who we are, our purpose, and what matters most to us. In simplest terms, it’s why a bumblebee anchors to the flower (particularly the stamen) when it needs to rest. It stays connected.
What does this look like for us more complicated humans? Depends on who we are, what matters most, and what our purpose may be. For my dad, it means always serving or teaching, and putting others first. Yes, even if it means cracking jokes with the medical flight crew as their plane crash landed at the airport while trying to get him to a VA facility for open heart surgery. Helping them helped him stay connected to what mattered most to him — being there for others. He also knew that if he kept them calm, his chances of survival were definitely greater. Double bonus for all of us humans who like having him around.
For me, I stay connected to “the out.” Getting outside every morning (even at 5:30am in the pouring rain) to take pictures of the incredible world around me helps me breathe, focus, and find more energy for the rest of my day and all the humans that come my way. What else does it look like?
Start building your list by asking: What can I DO that keeps me grounded (aka “sane”) and reduces my stress?
Stop Reacting
A lot of our stress in this millennia stems from the myriad decisions and data bytes we are expected to process (and process NOW) every single day. This pressure results in us readily relinquishing our time, tempers, emotions, and brain power to the demands of NOW — that ephemeral entity dedicated to distracting us from what matters most. Who cares how we got into this sticky wicket. Let’s get out.
Give yourself permission and space to rest, breathe, and think things through. I saw you roll your eyes. It works. I promise. So how do we do it? Again, customize to you, but here are a few things to try or help you jump start your personalized escape route:
Decide to Stay
Persist in existence. Pure and simple, this one means deciding to stay on this planet. For those of us who have and continue to fight depression, life exhausts us, sometimes in horrifying ways. Some days persisting, staying, whatever you call it, feels almost impossible. And some days we decide it is impossible.
Please don’t give up. Don’t wait until you hit your wall. When you feel the haze engulf you, call for help. Reach out to a friend (or even a stranger if they are the only one you see). Sing SnoopDog opera style. Whatever it takes. Stay. Please.
The Art of Tenacity starts with taking action on what matters most to you, slowing down (because very few decisions require your attention NOW), and deciding to stay. Depending on the day, these may seem like insurmountable obstacles. Keep practicing your art one day, one minute, or even one second at a time. Every try matters and moves us closer to mastering our artistry and beginning to thrive.