Staying Strong in the Face of Challenges
It’s easy to be bright and cheerful when everything’s going your way. Right? Success boosts your confidence and makes you feel unstoppable. The flush of victory puts a spring in your step and convinces you that anything’s possible. And we all know that success breeds success. It’s a great feeling when you achieve your goals and punch the air like a triumphant Rocky, winning against all the odds. It's true. Everyone wants to be a winner.
Prosperity tries the fortunate. Adversity tests the great.
- Rose Kennedy
But what do you do when circumstances conspire to impede your progress? What happens to your determination when cashflow issues sow the seeds of panic and fear casts its shadow over your best-laid plans? Do you possess the psychological foundations that enable you to weather the storm and overcome the difficulties?
Research indicates that success can bring its own brand of problems but most of us would rather deal with the consequences of winning than experience the stress of losing. But, preparing ourselves to handle the unavoidable setbacks, defeats and crises can reduce their impact on our plans, our progress and our wellbeing.
We can begin by recognising that setbacks and a bumpy road will always be normal aspects of any campaign for success. It would be completely naïve to imagine that our optimism and enthusiasm alone will be sufficient to deflect the problems that are bound to show up along the way. What we need is a reliable source of psychological strength in the face of difficulties and this is where a Victory Log can play an important role. And what, you may be asking, is a Victory Log? We’ll get to that in a moment.
We don't develop courage by being happy every day. We develop it by surviving difficult times and challenging adversity.
- Barbara De Angelis
The problem with problems is that they can quickly overwhelm us, denting our creativity, blotting out the options and dominating the horizon. They have the unexpected ability to absorb all of our attention and narrow our field of vision - until we see nothing except the crisis. The psychological consequence of a major setback is that it often challenges our faith in our capabilities. And feeling capable is a very powerful antidote to the shock of a setback. It's an excellent reminder that we possess the creativity to resolve the problems that confront us.
Creating your personal Victory Log is a tangible reminder of how capable you really are.
This is a surprisingly effective tool to enlist on behalf of your future success. It’s used every day by some of the most successful people on the planet and it’s incredibly easy to create.
So, what is it? It’s a personal record of everything you’ve ever achieved in your life. The fact is that we tend to overlook the vast majority of our achievements and successes whilst focusing far more on the old catalogue of painful setbacks, defeats and disappointments. What we need to balance our perceptions is a file that lists everything – and I mean everything – that we’ve ever achieved. The purpose of the file is to remind ourselves that we’re far more capable than we ever realised.
You should never view your challenges as a disadvantage. Instead, it's important for you to understand that your experience in facing and overcoming adversity is actually one of your biggest advantages.
- Michelle Obama
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Business leaders have learned to spend a few moments reading through their personal Victory Logs before attending important meetings. It’s a solid confirmation of their ability to achieve positive results and deliver consistently successful results. It’s a potent reminder of their capacity to overcome adversity and rise above the inevitable challenges. This is a very important advantage to enjoy in the face of any difficulties. This extremely important feeling of being capable can make a world of difference to your life. It’s often the difference between success and failure.
In our personal and professional lives, we are constantly hit with one adversity after the other, most of which we have no control over. But the four things we have total control over are:
how we react, how we adapt, how we breathe and how we take action.
- Diamond Dallas Page
Make today the day when you launch your own, personal Victory Log. Start with your childhood and start tracking the incredible number of achievements you’ve notched up in all areas of your life. You’re probably going to feel a warm glow of satisfaction as you recall all the things you’ve learned, experienced and shared. You may begin to appreciate that you’re far more capable than you realised. And that’s one of the greatest advantages you can deploy in the face of any adversity.
One who gains strength by overcoming obstacles possesses the only strength which can overcome adversity.
- Albert Schweitzer
Greg Parry created the Cognitive Empowerment Programs specifically to help people master their stress, overcome their limitations and explore the power of their true potential.
If you enjoy these blogs, you can imagine how much fun it is to have Greg in the room as an inspirational and highly perceptive speaker. If you’d like to invite Greg to talk to your company or organisation or event and discover how to turn up your productivity and boost creativity, feel free to get in touch.
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