We all face tough situations from time to time. And from my experience, the bigger your goals and the heftier your ambitions, the more you will be challenged.
While you may enjoy the comforts of the status quo, you can’t achieve great things when you’re not stretching yourself. That lesson has been reinforced over and over to me this year as I’ve embarked on my world record-breaking quest to complete the most ironmans in one year.
I’m reminded of the quote, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” Certainly in my big endeavor, my mental fortitude and toughness is tested on a frequent basis. Here are three things I do to stay mentally resilient and strong:
1. Do the work.
In any endeavor, you have to be willing to put in the blood, sweat and tears. To me, that means that I have to be willing to give 110%. Anything short of full commitment and discipline for tough challenges will result in falling short. To do that takes sacrifice. On the front end, I expect pain, effort and struggle. And when it greets me, I’m prepared to do whatever it takes. The good news is that if I embrace the suck and push through, I know that there will be a lot of joy and satisfaction. But I won’t get there without having the discipline and commitment on the front end.
2. Recognize and be prepared for the peaks and valleys.
With any challenging assignment, there will be tough times, I call them “valleys.” So I anticipate them before I even start. Certainly there are things we can often do on the front end to eliminate or mitigate some of the obstacles that will get in our way. But, we will still face some along the way. I find that knowing that they will show up and that they are part of the journey helps me tackle them with more confidence and resolve. In other words, I don’t get freaked out when I’m in a tough spot; I simply recognize it for what it is. And I fully anticipate that once I work through it, there will be another peak on the horizon. I find, too often, that when things get tough, people will feel overwhelmed. They often give up or lose their motivation to push through; it just seems too hard. By anticipating the valleys and recognizing that they are temporary, it’s much easier to stay calm and push through.
3. Be in the moment and keep moving forward.
There are two things that can derail our efforts pretty quickly…getting stuck in the past or worrying about the future. If we are constantly looking back, we are spending unnecessary time on what has already taken place. We should learn from our past, but not dwell on it. It’s done and no amount of thinking about it, will change what it was. Likewise, worrying about the future, will not serve us well. If we have a big goal, it can seem like there is so much to do and it can be overwhelming. Instead focus on the present. Be in the moment and focus on what can be done now. One step at a time…over and over again. Stay present, remain focused and keep moving. It’s amazing what we can accomplish when we shut out all the competing thoughts and feelings we have and just put our head down and get things done.
