The Importance of Tenacity
Posted by Lynnae on April 20, 2008
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Liz has grown a lot as a soccer player by sticking with it.
Yesterday I spent the morning at the soccer fields, watching my kids play soccer. As I watched my 10 year old daughter’s game, I thought back to when she started playing soccer in 2nd grade.
You see, my daughter takes after me. She’s not very athletic. In fact, when she first told me she wanted to play soccer, I was very surprised. But I like to encourage my children to try new things, so I signed her up. I figured she’d play one season and quit. Not so.
She ended up with a wonderful coach. A coach who gave her a chance and encouraged her, even though she was afraid of the ball. Even though she was the slowest runner on her team. She liked playing for her coach so much, that she signed up for soccer the next season. And the next.
Now she’s in her 6th season. As I watched her play yesterday, I marveled at how much her game has improved. She’s not the star of the team, who kicks all the goals, but she’s become a great defensive player. She knows her purpose, and she does her job well.
I think there’s a lesson to be learned from my daughter. Tenacity matters. In second grade, my daughter knew she was the slowest kid on the team, but she didn’t quit.
In the same way, when I’m trying to pay off my debt, no matter how slow I am, no matter the fact that I seem to be way behind my neighbors financially, I can’t quit. By sticking with it, I’ll reach the goal.
It’s also important to have a good coach. My daughter’s coach encouraged her to be the best soccer player she could be. He didn’t compare her to the other girls on the team. He encouraged her to do her best.
As a Christian, my coach is the Lord. He’s interested in helping me develop my talents and skills according to how He gifted me. He’s interested in how I serve Him. Not in how I measure up in relation to my friends.
The reason I strive to be frugal is that I want to make the best use of the resources God has given me. I’m not there yet. I’m constantly learning. I frequently make mistakes. But I continue to grow. I continue to learn. I continue to look to my coach for guidance.
You don’t have to be a naturally gifted athlete to play a good soccer game. You don’t have to be a naturally frugal person to manage your money well. The importance is in the desire to learn and the tenacity to stick with it when times get tough.
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15 Responses to “The Importance of Tenacity”
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I am not a financial expert. I'm just a wife and mom doing the best I can to live a frugal life and get out of debt. Like any human, I make mistakes. I write this blog out of my own experiences, and nothing I write should be taken as expert advice. If you need financial advice, please consult a professional.
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Well said.
Tenacity, commitment, dedication, determination. They all are very essential ingredients in our journey to achieve what we want.
Not so easily done, though….sigh!
Congrats to your girl for being a good example of what tenacity can achieve.
Having grown up playing sports (including soccer), and then coaching at the youth level, I can say without a doubt that tenacity can make up for athleticism in a lot of ways. Some kids who are gifted athletes are loafers, and think they can rely on their talents to get by.
We could all take a lesson. When we get complacent, and lose that tenacity, in our struggles to become debt free we often backslide a bit. I know it has happened in my own journey to debt freedom. Great post!
There is a lot more to stick-to-it-iveness than meets the eye. Your daughter is a great example of strength of character and courage. No one ever said we had to be the best at everything. But there is a lot to be learned in the process of trying and loyalty to a goal.
My sister had a really good coach who found all the girls’ strengths and put them in places which made them blossom. I’m glad your daughter is finding a place on the team.
I’m not nor have I ever really been athletic, but thankfully because you write so well I was able to catch the metaphors LOL!
I really love what you wrote about the Lord being the coach!
Jia
http://www.modernmollymormon.blogspot.com
Amen! I so agree with you.
I couldn’t agree with this more! The good thing about being broke is that we are forced to be frugal. As we make more money we feel silly about not being so extravagant, but I agree that to waste is to not appreciate. To not express gratitude.
Children really are such wonderful teachers, we would do well to follow their examples at times. I love that you have chosen God as your coach because it reminds us that when choosing a coach make sure you choose the best, someone who’s has values that you would share, who’s examples you would like emulate. A great coach is a wonderful resource.
I am currently studying psychology and am constantly amazed at just how many studies show that many of us are very much influenced by what others have and how much better they are then us. It makes many people spend their lives striving to either please other people or running ourselves into the ground trying to keep up with others.
I agree with you doing something for yourself even if your’re not that good at it and to carry on regardless of what others might think is definately one of the major rules we should all live too.
Go girl, be the best you can. Yey.
Thanks for sharing this great story and drawing a parallel to your faith.
Great comparison! I needed this reminder when I feel like giving up on frugality.
Which happens often….thankfully my hubby is much more determined! (There is a HIGHER reason for this lifestyle too!)
What an absolutely beautiful post!! It is so true and one of the hardest lessons to learn.
Keep it up! You are setting a great example for your daughter. Our culture puts so much pressure on us to spend on stupid stuff, and not save for our future. It is especially hard on kids–who are being marketed to at such an early age. They need to know their self-worth, without all the stuff the marketers are telling them they need to feel good.