11 Aug Want to Develop Remarkable Persistence and Mental Toughness? Stop Working the Problem
via Inc.com by Jeff Haden
Success in any worthwhile pursuit requires certain superpowers.
For entrepreneurs, Steve Jobs — no stranger to achievement — believed mental toughness was the foundation for success.
I’m convinced that about half of what separates successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance. It is so hard. You pour so much of your life into this thing.
There are such rough moments … that most people give up. I don’t blame them. It’s really tough.
Makes sense. Possessing (or as you’ll see in a moment, finding) the ability to push through failure and adversity and stick to your long-term passions and goals is often what allows “ordinary” people to accomplish extraordinary things. Sometimes, the person who wins is the person who is the last to give up on themself.
But why do some people quit when others keep going?
More important, why are each of us sometimes able to stay the course, yet other times not?
A 2016 study published in Wilderness and Environmental Medicine called “Pain Is Inevitable but Suffering Is Optional” — easily the coolest research paper title ever — followed more than 200 participants in155-mile multistage desert ultra-marathons.
The researchers established a causal link between the participants’ coping strategies and whether they finished the races. Some used what the researchers called “adaptive coping strategies.” Instead of seeing suffering as happening to them, they decided to see their extreme discomfort as a challenge: As something they chose. (Which, of course, they had.) Or finding ways to ignore or distract themselves from the pain.
On the flip side, some participants fell prey to “maladaptive coping strategies.” Like feeling scared by the discomfort and pain they experienced. Or seeing a certain level of pain as a clear signal to stop. (Which, to be fair, seems a reasonable response.)
The bottom line? A single occurrence of a maladaptive coping strategy tripled the chances a participant would drop out of a race. We can all relate to that; sometimes one weak moment is enough to unleash an avalanche of negativity, uncertainty, and despair…
… keep reading the full & original article HERE