Intentionally Enduring Adversity

At first, intentionally enduring adversity may seem a bit unconventional. Who in their right mind wants to experience unnecessary stress? If we look more closely, though, many parts of our society do this everyday, and we are often impressed by their achievements. Lets look at sports teams. They practice the fundamentals, game situations, and build the habits that they hope to lead them to victory. They also create their separation skills – what goes on between the ears is often what separates the winners from the losers. The greatest teams develop comfort with “game on the line” pressure situations through practice. They are well versed in overcoming “unnecessary” stress. They are prepared for success.

Last week I wrote about how we need to self reflect to fall forward. That our eye must stay on our goal if we want to get there effectively. Other people may have a different perspective on us that can help us grow our skills and effectiveness. We have begun our SWOT reviews of the team and mine is one of the first ones being completed. It was great to read all of the positive comments. I felt appreciated, like all of my efforts were worth it. Conversely, it was difficult to read the criticisms, and I assure you there was no shortage of them. I take them to heart and some really stung. Its necessary that I endure this. I must understand that other people hold the key to my potential. They can identify my opportunities and threats quickly. The forthrightness of the review, though critical at times, inspires me to get better. It forces me to reflect while giving me a clear path of what to work on.

Learning to deal with pressure, adversity, and criticism is a skill that requires practice. The better we can handle these items, the better our results will be. The more open we can be with our strengths and weaknesses, the better we will be at overcoming our threats to seize our opportunities.

Good luck on your journey.