Tag: stubbornness

Categories
motivation

Stubbornness or Tenacity

a person stretching
Photo by Ketut Subiyanto on Pexels.com

I could have been stubborn and refused to stop and heal my leg. And through this month, I’ve been tempted to get back out there and run, though my knee isn’t fully healed. But I know that further damage could force a longer recovery.

Tenacity has gotten me through some challenging circumstances. Crossing that line into stubbornness can only make things worse. I still believe I can train for a half-marathon in the future. There is still time. But refusing to change plans when setbacks happen is only going to delay my goal.

Be tenacious. However, don’t cross the line into simply being stubborn.

Categories
motivation

When Setbacks Happen

Sketch of me with leg pain illustrating when setback happen.

Earlier this month, I went for my weekend run. I was going to run six miles, determined to keep on my plan to run a half marathon this fall. Then the pain started, and I found myself pondering what to do when setbacks happen.

  • Should I quit?
  • Should I cut today’s run short?
  • If I push through, will I injure myself?

The pain didn’t go away. Eventually, I decided it was foolish to push my knee to the point of severe damage. Ironic, isn’t it? I wrote a post on sticking with it, and I injured myself.

It was so ironic, I didn’t want to write this post! I sat on it for two weeks. How could I write a post about a setback right after encouraging others to stick with it? But that’s exactly when I needed to write it.

Sticking with it is easy when slow and steady progress is unimpeded. It’s much harder when I have to take a detour. But that’s when the successful learn from failure.

What do you do when you have a plan and reality throws you a curveball?

Categories
Attitude Proverbs wisdom

The Stiff-necked

brown highland cattle on field of grass
Photo by Gabriela Palai on Pexels.com

In a story, there is always an obstacle. Either the hero has a conflict internally or externally. Something is stiff-necked.

Proverbs 29:1 reminds me why being stubborn and part of the stiff-necked is far from admirable.

"Whoever remains stiff-necked after many rebukes will suddenly be destroyed—without remedy." Proverbs 29:1

The hero learns something when they face and overcome the obstacle. They change and become a better version of themselves. Sure, they may be stubbornly determined, but they can’t be so stubborn that they are too proud to learn.

What if the hero is stiff-necked? What if they never learn and remain the same? It’s not much of a story—it’s just a long, slow-motion destruction scene.

Do you have a good story? Have you learned something that changed your life for the better? Congratulations! You have a story to tell that can transform the life of someone else who doesn’t suffer from a stubborn, stiff neck.

Categories
Attitude Purpose

Stubbornly Determined 

Cartoon of a jogging coupleI’ve learned that anything that requires determination takes a little stubbornness. When facing a daunting task, you’ll be told:

  • it’s not worth it.
  • There are not enough resources.
  • You’re not enough.
  • Aren’t you afraid?
  • Nobody has ever done this before. What makes you think you can?
  • If you feel scared, maybe that’s a sign you should stop 

Stubbornness is good when used correctly.

  • Be stubborn in your goal, but flexible in how to get there.
  • Be stubborn in standing up for what’s right, but flexible in how you communicate your vision to different people. 
  • Be stubborn in plugging away at your goal, but flexible in giving yourself a break. Nobody can be on 24/7/365.

I used to think being stubborn was a bad quality. Now I know it’s required for any goal with bumps and obstacles along the way.

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webcomic

When a sign is too obvious

cartoon of a guy holding a stop sign

Cartoon of a guy holding a stop sign. the caption says, While it was true Tom prayed for a sign from God, this wasn’t what he had hoped for.

Many times, when I’ve received a sign, it wasn’t the one I hoped for either. I don’t like it when I had a set of plans that doesn’t jive with the natural order of things. Sometimes, God has to hit me over the head with a stop sign to get my attention. When I finally do listen, I realized I could’ve saved myself a lot of frustration by just heeding the signs.