Being Tenacious Is the Way to Live and Work

Being tenacious is one of the best qualities anyone can have. It has served me well in so many areas of my life including sticking firmly to my business plan opening my second business, persisting in finishing the Boston Marathon in under six hours to get the medal and facing personal medical challenges. I’ll be honest with you this Monday morning, I woke up took a look at my almost bald head (and I’m a 53 year old woman) felt a lowering of my spirit happen then walked into my business office looked outside saw the really hilly neighborhood road and decided after a couple calls I was going to run farther today than I have before on this road. Yup, that is what tenacity means to me – not giving up and giving in to challenges.

Of course there are some days when I get up look in that mirror and feel sorry for myself and go in my office and write out my sad emotions and stick inside but for the most part this health challenge is motivating me to do more than I have before when it comes to situations in my personal life. I’m working on the ideas and changes for my business life but that will wait for a few more months until I am done with my sabbatical.

I committed in December to travel to England for the first time to run in an all woman’s marathon called the “Women Can Marathon” in Devon, England. One strand, by one strand as my hair fell out I doubted whether I could still go on the trip. I had a great excuse to give up because like most women I am worried what people might think when they see me running bald with my Boston Marathon hat on. But then that tenacity resurfaced and the next thing I knew I was telling my teammates about my condition and they embraced me and said, “Come anyway and run with us.”

I know the Women Can Marathon is going to be a challenge since the beautiful, seaside, hilly terrain is something I have never run on before but the views look amazing and will propel me forward just like running with my teammates from Switzerland, Malta and England. I bought an American Flag buff to wear on my head and show off my American pride. Just buying that and envisioning myself representing the USA on Team 261 Fearless as I run empowers me. Small acts of tenacity will change any negative mindset.