I’ve recently been talking with a friend about a job change. She’s an incredibly talented individual with some amazing skills. However, like most of us, she’s nervous going into a new job. She’s concerned she won’t live up to the expectations of her new employer. We’ve all been there before. It’s easy to let self-doubt creep into our minds and distort our view or even stress us out. While we can let that go too far, for the most part, this nervous energy can be used to motivate us to make sure we live up to the expectations our employers have for us.
With this in mind, I was struck by this image I found which highlights 18 things mentally strong people do. Let’s be honest, everything that I’ve discussed above is as much a mental challenge as it is a capability challenge. Take a look at the list below:
There are so many good items on this list, but I particularly like the one that says “They tolerate discomfort.” Turns out that this one is so key to so many of the others like “Embracing Change”, “Keeping Control”, “Taking Calculated Risks”, and “Think Productively” to name just a few.
All of these things point to one basic truth about life. The risks we take in life help to make us stronger and provide incredible lessons that make us better people. If we don’t embrace being uncomfortable, we’ll miss out on a lot of opportunities to grow. It’s worth noting that it didn’t say “enjoy discomfort” or “look for discomfort”. No, it said “tolerate discomfort.” That’s a beautiful idea.
Going back to my friend that’s changing jobs. No doubt she’s “tolerating discomfort” as she makes this change. She’s embracing change, taking a calculated risk, and is willing to fail. I’m sure that’s a really scary thing for her, but I know she’s going to come out the other side an even more amazing person and employee.
How many of these characteristics do you live? Are you a mentally strong person? Is there some of them you could embrace more fully?