Tenacity: the “mental or moral strength to resist opposition, danger, or hardship” (http://www.merriam-webster.com). Or in my own words, tenacity is plain old stubbornness and the refusal to give up. I grew up with this attitude and it set me on a path of a lifetime of overcoming obstacles.

This attitude may mean taking a longer, more circuitous journey to your goals than most people take, but it will allow you to accomplish your goals in spite of the hurdles you face. I encourage you to set goals then simply do the best you can to keep moving forward. That requires tenacity.

You’ll have bumps in the road, like infections and hospitalizations. If you need to have a pity party, go ahead, have it, then get over it and get back to fighting. Don’t stay in the mire, thinking that your life is over just because your plans have been derailed temporarily. Start planning how you can start working while you’re there in the hospital to get back on track when you get out. Then, hit the ground running, walking, or crawling. Whatever it takes, just do the best you can and don’t quit. Tenacity.

Tenacity relates to every part of our lives. When you hit a bump in the road, you can either give in to discouragement and quit or be stubborn and tenacious and find a way to push through. I’ll say it again, be relentless, and never, ever give up. That, my friend, is tenacity.

Quote: “The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity.” ~ Amelia Earhart