Is It Grit, Determination, Or Is It The Challenge Itself?

We have all heard inspirational stories of people who have gone through extraordinarily tough times to overcome adversity. Many will recount being able to find a new level of strength and determination when they thought they had nothing left to give.

Is it courage, is it 'toughening up', or is it the ability to switch off from reality and focus on something else. It is the latter. People who can work through extreme adversity, to put the pain to one side, to find strength at the depths of despair, are all around us.

Last Friday, our Online Education & Events Manager Haley Burdett , undertook what for most would seem like a mammoth task - to complete 13 x F45 fitness classes in a single day. If you have completed one 45F session then you will know how hard they are.

The event was for charity, KidsCan Charitable Trust , one that is dear to our hearts. Our company has one core value – to give back – more so when it involves supporting children. Haley completed all 13 sessions showing unbelievable strength, courage, and determination across the 12-hours.

What is it that is special about people who can find strength where most of us would give up. Is it in their DNA, is it in their personality, is it a strong mind-set. Maybe they are a little psychotic!

No, they are people like you and me. People who see only one thing and do whatever it takes to achieve it.

Much has been written about the common traits of people who do the seeming impossible - a powerful inner-drive, a tolerance of pain, the ability to visualise a goal, extraordinary self-discipline - and so the list goes.

We all have the ability to tap into any of these traits. For me it is one thing, the ability to focus on our hook. We all have a hook, that one thing that we always think of when times get tough, our sense of purpose, our real strength.

If you focus on your hook – family, faith, fitness, friends, whatever it is for you – when times get tough you will find the ability to gain unbelievable strength. Focussing on our hook stops our mind from wandering, prevents our inner voice from telling us to give up, lets us ignore the present pain.

When we focus on our hook we become energised, driven, numb to the pain. For our hook is in our heart and our heart will always overcome what our inner voice is telling us if we truly believe in our hook.

Do not believe your thoughts when times get tough, for they are just that, thoughts. Challenge every thought you have, is it you or is it your brain taking the easiest route. Our brain has one purpose, to keep us alive, and it will always tell us to give up. Ignore your voice and hold on to what is in your heart.

Be as patient with yourself as you are with those around you and hold on to what you love, your hook. When times get tough always go with your heart and not your head for in times of adversity your heart will always know best.

Let's talk!

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Lance, a former police crisis negotiator and personnel?development manager, now provides enhanced communication, safety management, and personal resilience support to businesses across all industries;?https://www.warninternational.com/ ?

Lance is the author of the bestsellers - Behind The Tape and Dark Side of the Brain? -?https://www.warninternational.com/products?category=Books has created a series of eLearning courses - https://elearning.warninternational.com/

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