Tenacity

As this week’s podcast guest Erika Michalski reminded us, neuroscience doesn’t say that we can avoid difficult emotions, they are going to happen, that’s life. The important thing is that we learn ways to move forward, embracing what we need from them and releasing what we don’t. This mindset requires tenacity, since you must be determined and persistent to keep moving forward.

While learning about the prairie in South Dakota, I was reminded of one of the most important qualities it takes to have tenacity: living your life through the lens of an empowering mindset.

I read something very interesting about prairie fires at the Badlands visitor center.  “Prairie fires destroy but they also renew. Thick plant growth chokes out new green growth that animals prefer to eat. Natural fires caused by lightning strikes burn this accumulation away, returning nutrients to the soil. Some plants even need fire to scorch their seeds before they’ll spout.” 

How often are there metaphorical fires in our own lives that destroy but can also renew?  In the midst of your own fire, it can be so hard to embrace it as an opportunity for growth and healing; however, planting the seed that even in our most difficult times, there can be goodness, may be just the scorch your mindset needs to allow new growth to sprout.

It may sound really good to adopt this tenacious mindset, to embrace the heat of the fire and allow it to transform you, but I would be doing you a disservice if I didn’t address how much hard work it involves. I talk a lot here and on the podcast about growth, healing, and the lessons learned along the way.  The part that doesn’t get talked about as much is how hard it is when you are in the fire. 

I hope you remember that there may be some seeds in you that are about to come alive after your fire, but hold tight.  Allow yourself to mourn, cry, rage, or whatever you need, because as beautiful as the regrowth can be, the burns still hurt. Addressing your pain may just be the thing you need to make room for the new growth. But stay tenacious, fiercely determined and persistent towards your own self growth and healing, regardless of the circumstances. 

This post is written in partnership with#hergrowthcollective, encouraging women to walk the path of self-development together.