Author: Jim Constable, J1Coaching
Whatever our levels of motivation when we enter an event – from fired up to scared to death – the chances are that, at some point, we are going to be faced with some tough questions:
- Why am I doing this?!
- Should it be this difficult?!
- Can I keep going??!!
Keeping going, when it’s tough or after a setback, requires resilience.
And we all have that.
I believe we all have natural resilience to keep going but that we can also develop it further. Part of doing that, as Lucy Hone explains in her excellent TED talk about resilient people, is that resilient people know that if they are going to truly live a life, then at some point they will suffer.
If we are going to really stretch ourselves, put ourselves beyond our comfort zones and genuinely challenge ourselves, then we should expect it at some points to be tough.
All my work and learning on resilience has taught me that resilience has three parts:
- An ability to face the reality of the situation. So not seeing it through rose-tinted spectacles or passing it off. Know what you’re taking on and see the reality as it really is
- Deriving some learning or meaning from the situation you’re in. This might mean distancing yourself from it to get perspective – through your thoughts or by talking to someone else to get an external view
- Keep moving, hopefully forwards. As Churchill said: “when you’re going through hell, keep going”. Keeping moving means focusing on the next small target, focusing on what you can control and mustering all the confidence and self-belief you possibly can
You can use these three parts to build resilience during the tougher parts of your training as well as to build resilience during your event.
And all of the above will help you build resilience for life.
Jim Constable, J1Coaching
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