The undefeated mind

Through a book that mentions another book "The Undefeated Mind: On the Science of Constructing an Indestructible Self" by Alex Lickerman, MD I learned a few important things about happiness and also about perseverance.

1. Resilience and Perseverance: "An undefeated mind isn't one that never feels discouraged or despairing; it's one that continues on in spite of it. Even when we can’t find a smile to save us, even when we’re tired beyond all endurance, possessing an undefeated mind means never forgetting that defeat comes not from failing but from giving up" . This is valid in the corporate world where even the most senior people fail, not as often as the juniors but it still happens. My take on this aspect is that we should be able to pursue our goals even after failure.
2. Creating Value and Happiness: "Creating value for others is the key to creating happiness for ourselves... the quantity and quality of value we create for others is what contributes to our happiness the most". By bringing value to our customers and also by contributing to our team we bring value and happiness to ourselves. A company in which I worked had a slogan "When we grow others, we grow ourselves".
3. Enduring Missions Over Failed Strategies: "A strategy might fail, but you can find another way to continue your mission... A mission, on the other hand, endures... if underneath that love also lies a commitment to the mission our strategy served, we’ll eventually be able to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and find another strategy we loved just as much". We aim to bring colleagues into our organizations who are committed to the work that they perform so that they contribute to our mission. It happens that strategies fail but that doesn't mean that we cannot pursue another strategy that leads us towards success.
4. Using Suffering to Create Benefit: "Learning how to use suffering as a springboard for creating benefit... when confronted by harsh circumstances over which we have no control, we become capable of enduring them only by finding a way to create value with them" We don't want others to suffer to create benefit, but it can still happen; executives might choose the company's future over individual's happiness. In this situation, our salvation is to be able to deliver value even under harsh circumstances.
5. Action Over Rumination: "The best way to regain self-confidence... may be by flinging ourselves, however blindly, into action... what we get from trial and error that rumination can’t provide is the chance to view things from vantage points we can’t acquire through theorizing alone" We need the trial and error process, every hypothesis however good it might be it's only a prediction about the future that cannot be proven until an action has been taken.
6. Action Creates Feelings: "Research suggests that action creates feeling almost as often as feeling creates action" Doers do get the feeling of accomplishment and once they get that feeling they can continue with more actions.
7. Resolve as a Key to Problem-Solving: "Our resolve determines our ability to solve problems... the mustering of resolve when setting out to accomplish a goal" Be able to make decisions for yourself and others even in the face of difficulties. Taking action and resolving problems is the way to achieve our goals. Ignoring problems or not taking action is a decision in itself.
8. Combatting Self-Doubt: "Nothing dismantles our resolve more quickly than the loss of self-confidence... preserving our self-confidence represents the single most important and challenging part of any attempt to accomplish a goal". Preserve your confidence towards your journey of achieving your goals, this will inspire you and others.

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Lucian