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Tough Mind, Strong Success

When I was doing a word study on God's (and Moses') exhortation to Joshua to be strong and courageous as he entered the Promised Land to conquer it, it struck me that these words had more to do with Joshua's mental state and not his physical prowess. In other words, God was saying to Joshua that he had to be mentally tough if he was going to be successful.

I was surprised by this notion because today, many psychologist who are seeking to help people become successful have also come to the conclusion that mental toughness is a key factor one must have if one is to overcome adversities in life. Looks like what God knew is now known and confirmed by modern psychology!

To be mentally tough means
  • you are able to resist the urge to give up when experiencing failure
  • maintain focus and determination in pursuit of your dreams and
  • emerge stronger after each adversity
Psychologist also tell us that mental toughness is a SKILL that can be strengthened - good news for people like me who are painfully aware of my mental weakness.

Key message: Mental toughness comes from thinking like an optimist. How to do this? Well, according to Martin Seligman (my favorite psychology professor), to think like an optimist you must have the HABIT of interpreting setbacks as
  • temporary - "It's going away quickly"
  • local - It's just this one situation"
  • changeable - "I can do something about this"
So, when failure hits you what do you believe has happened and how do you describe your failure. Is it the opposite of what Seligman proposed?  Do you see your setback as permanent, pervasive and out of control?

Other than interpreting your setbacks properly, another exercise is to resist 'catastrophic thinking' - where you assume the worst whenever a bad occurs.
  • when your wife overseas fails to call back, you conclude she has been involved in a terrible accident
  • you get a bad report for your recent presentation and you are already preparing to be fired
  • your boss says to you, "I want to see you later", and you are sure it's bad news
If you have done this or something similar, you are guilty of 'awfulising'  and to fight back, you must catch your awful thought, write it down and challenge it:
  • Is this accurate?
  • Is there a positive spin to this?
  • Is there any genuine concern/problem I should act upon?
Lastly, enlarge two capacities in your life: gratitude and generosity. Intentionally (and if need to, schedule it in daily) "hunt for the good things" that reveal how fortunate you are daily. Many, before sleeping, write a gratitude journal, where they jot down several events, people or things that came across their life that day that they are thankful for.

I am certain you will be able to see all three of this skills in the adventures Joshua had as he entered and began conquering Canaan. I hope you and I will also develop and manifest these skills so when it's our day to take the hill or to deal with the giants in the land, we will prevail and be more than conquerors!

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