“Let me tell you the secret that had led me to my goal: my strength lies solely in my tenacity.”

-Louis Pasteur

This past weekend my Husband and I headed up to Park City, Utah for a snowboarding trip.  My husband loves snowboarding.  I on the other hand have only gone twice.  The first time was about 16 years ago.  My husband took me straight to the top of the mountain and I had no clue what I was doing.  I tumbled down the Big Bear Mountain, and crash after crash I thought my wrists would never be the same.  After one run I said, “this sucks, and I will never do this again,” and that was it.  No tenacity there.  

Fast forward to a few months ago, and a trip to Tahoe, and my husband begged me to take a snowboarding lesson, so I did.  I had a great time, and by the days end I was going down a small hill with some 6 year olds, and feeling pretty good about myself.  Now we get to last weekend.  While all of our other friends went straight up to their runs, I decided I needed to practice on a magic carpet run with all of the 4 and 5  year olds.  I seemed to have forgotten everything I learned 2 months prior, and I thought there was no way I was going on anything more than this.  Well, my husband came down the hill and found me and signaled that it was time to go on the slopes.  I couldn’t wimp out so off we went.  I went to all of the runs that every one of our friends were going on.  I even made it down the first few without falling, and I was having a blast and feeling really cool!  Time went on and the runs got more exhausting and tiring.  After hours of boarding, I was done.  My legs were on the verge of giving out, and for the first time in a long time, I mentally broke.  It was like that first snowboarding trip all over again. I wanted off the mountain, but we had at least an hour to go to even be able to get down the mountain.  I was picturing the ski patrol having to strap me into their first aid get-up and carry me down the mountain.  My mental tenacity was gone.  I had nothing left.  I had thrown in the white flag, and once you mentally give up, your body will easily follow.  After 45 minutes of this, I saw the light at the end of the tunnel, and it was the end of the run.  I mustered up every ounce of energy I had and told myself to just finish this. So, I went down that last hill, the steepest of them all, and I went for it.  I made it down.  No having to call ski patrol to save me.  But I became fully aware of the mental breakdown I had and my lack of tenacity was disappointing, but I learned a few lessons from it all.

First, I realized that I did really good considering I had never actually snowboarded until that day, and I kept up with everyone else pretty well.  I gave myself credit for trying and it felt good.  Second, I realized that although I was utterly disappointed in how I mentally crumbled that last hour, I also came to the awareness that I am human, and it’s ok to break sometimes.  While I wish I could be positive and mentally strong in all situations, I am not.  I try really hard to be, but it is something that I continuously must work on. I am human. We all are human.  We all succumb to the weaknesses of man sometimes, and it’s ok.  That is how we learn and that is how we grow.  Tenacity means having a strong determination or resolve for something.  It means to keep on keeping on.  It is a great thing to strive for.  A tenacious person will never give up on their dream.  They will always find the resolve to finish and to never give up.  After a few days of reflection I guess I had a little bit of tenacity up on that mountain, even if it was just to get off the mountain as quickly as possible.  Now, I am already planning my next trip and I want to get really good at it, and I want my kids to learn too!

Building up our resolve and strengthening our determination to achieve our dreams, is a necessary step to achieving what we most want.  Try creating a vision board for yourself.  Take a poster board and put up picutures and words of goals and desires that you have.  Keep it by your bed.  Every night look at it, and picture in your mind yourself achieving those goals.  See it clearly, how you want your life to be.  Then, go forward and do all that you can to make it happen.  Do not ever doubt yourself.  Don’t ever let your determination waver.  Be a tenacious person.  Fight will all of your resolve for the things that you want.  It is all inside of you.  Have faith in yourself.  Have faith in those around you.  Let the fighting spirit inside of you come alive.  Find your own lessons of tenacity inside of yourself, and let nothing or no one stand in the way of your magnificent dreams.  

Hope On. Journey On.

Jenna