Build resilience - it's a super power !!
Resilience is a superpower.
I’ve recently listened to a great book – The Art of Resilience by Ross Edgley – it tells the story of how with stoic sports science he managed to become the first person to swim 1780 miles in 157 days around the circumference of Great Britain.
I listened to it whilst on my rowing machine completing a 500,000 metre month – 16093 metres or 10 miles a day during August – this all in the hope of building up my resilience and “getting comfortable with being uncomfortable”.
Remember – The capacity to tolerate minor discomfort is a superpower.
We’ve all had knock backs especially during the recent months but I understand that the ability to carry on regardless and face problems head on is what will see me though.
If I can grind out 70 minutes of rowing followed by a cold shower every day then I can pick up the phone and call a prospect even when I’m not in the mood.
It’s shocking to realise how readily we set aside even our greatest ambitions in life, merely to avoid easily tolerable levels of unpleasantness.
You already know it won’t kill you to endure the mild agitation of getting back to work on an important creative project; initiating a difficult conversation with a colleague; asking someone out; or checking your bank balance – but you can waste years in avoidance nonetheless. (This is how social media platforms flourish: by providing an instantly available, compelling place to go and hide away from the real world at the first hint of unease.)
It’s possible, instead, to make a game of gradually increasing your capacity for discomfort, like periodisation when weight training at the gym you will get “stronger”. When you expect that an action will be accompanied by feelings of irritability, anxiety or boredom, it’s usually possible to let that feeling arise and fade, while doing the action anyway. The rewards come so quickly, in terms of what you’ll accomplish, that it soon becomes the more appealing way to live and you will want to “lift more weight”.
This week – that thing you have been putting off because it’s making your feel uncomfortable – just get on with it …
If you are interested in learning how our coaching courses can help you move forward or you want to join me in this month’s fitness craziness – it’s the 10,000 kettlebell swing challenge with a 32kg bell – then please get in touch !!
Gary Simpson – 01283 713832 / 07968 732744
#coaching #resilience #lifeskills