Today’s Mandala
Tenacity
“Maintain that motivation
— Arsene Wenger
to go from A to B
and to keep your focus
on that target
without any weakening.
That is called tenacity;
stamina in your motivation.”
“Patience and tenacity are worth more
— Thomas Huxley
than twice their weight of cleverness.”
“I live by two words:
— Henry Winkler
tenacity and gratitude.”
Today’s MotD reminds us that sometimes what we want to achieve (do or be) requires tenacity: persistence and determination. Our challenge is to find joy and gratitude in the process and in our progress, the ups and downs, and all arounds; like the deep dark purples, the bright magentas, and the bashful pinks of today’s MotD. Too often we’re so focused on the end goal and our haste to get there that we miss out on all the juicy (middle) stuff along the way.
As a personal example of tenacity: 45 years ago for my final performance piece for my BA in Music Education I played Debussy’s Reverie (hear Francois-Joel Thiollier’s performance of it below). Up until 6 months ago, my piano’s only performance was as a dust collector. I moved it to a new location in our house and began practicing piano drills (10-15 minutes a day) and it was actually fun! Then I spotted my 45 year-old copy of ”Reverie” and set the intention to learn it and perform it again. For about 15 minutes a day over the last few months, I have been getting better and better. I even made a commitment to MEMORIZE it!
To look at my progress on a day-to-day basis it seems like it’s slow going. However I have to say that in the last week I’ve noticed a marked improvement and most of it is already memorized. I’m going about half the speed it needs to be and flubbing it here and there…and that’s okay too because when I first started I could barely get through two bars at a snail’s pace. Most importantly I’m allowing myself to enjoy the process and my progress. Before the end of the year, I know I’ll be able to perform it even better then I did in college.
So what’s your ”Reverie”? Can you give yourself the joyful gift of 10-15 minutes day towards your goal(s)? Over time, you’ll be amazed by your progress.
“The most difficult thing
— Amelia Erheart
is the decision to act,
the rest is merely tenacity.
The fears are paper tigers.
You can do anything
you decide to do.
You can act to change
and control your life;
and the procedure,
the process is its own reward.”
Blessings,
Maureen
The Mandala Lady
btw…what I started with and a different angle of the finished version:
Mandala of the Day 