When The Going Gets Tough

When The Going Gets Tough

No sirrrs, I'm not pitching Billy Ocean's song lyrics When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Gets Going.  Out of curiosity, I still did look up the meaning of these lyrics although it's pretty obvious.  BUT in real life, this tells us that WHEN the situation gets difficult, strong people can and MUST step up and handle the escalating situation.  True, there are times to step up and get through something difficult  BUT sometimes, pushing through may NOT be the best option📗📙📘

Many years ago, my musician first cousin was so eager to teach me playing the guitar BUT after donkey failed attempts, I even 'donated' my guitar.  The thing is, the guitar required me to reach that complete musical sound BUT I just CAN'T.  HOW's that for a good excuse for NOT learning to play the guitar?  Was I too impatient OR perhaps more likely, I just DIDN'T have the drive to learn playing the guitar.  In the business world, however, WHEN difficulties arise, the decision is often made to tough it out WHEN something ISN'T working as planned.  And one of the most common justifications for this is, "WE'VE INVESTED TOO MUCH TO STOP, SO, ALTHOUGH WE KNOW THERE ARE BIG PROBLEMS, LET'S KEEP GOING".  After the dust settles, everyone is patting themselves on the back and calling themselves resilient, successful and even celebrating the outcome.  BUT at what cost???

Now, regardless WHETHER the GOING GETS TOUGH in our personal life or in our professional OR business life, WHEN difficulties start to feeling overwhelming, it's time to pause and ask if it makes sense to be the one singing "THE TOUGH GETS GOING".  Simply put, when the GOING GETS TOUGH, we only have these choices, namely:

• CHANGE something in the ongoing execution of the plan
• ACCEPT something as it is and see if you could move on
• JUST GIVE UP

This is WHEN mental toughness comes in, as that is paramount for achieving any lofty goal OR overcoming extreme hurdles.  Few great things in this world come without a little bit of adversity though.  And nothing amazing happens inside our comfort zones.  WHETHER we are talking about earning a promotion, nurturing a challenged marriage, mastering a sport, building up a startup business OR battling a serious illness, suffering will surface in various forms and shape.  That tells a mouthful  as to why the things we love and work hard are rewarding😌😌😌

Our takeaway:  The psychological traits of grit and RESILIENCE have been widely researched BUT it does still pose a challenge as it relates to how we actually develop mental toughness.  And this brings us back to RESILIENCE.  How do we build it?  Do some people have 'larger sums' in their RESILIENCE bank accounts than others?  Experts state that RESILIENCE is like any muscle.  With focus and determination, you can strengthen your mind to overcome any obstacle WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH❗❗❗