setbacks and problems are always expected and never permanent
struggle is the one constant in all of our lives
our attitude and approach are usually at fault
great individuals and companies find a way to transform weakness into strength and turn adversity into advantage
obstacles are opportunities to test ourselves, to try new things, and to triumph
great times are great softeners
3 steps to the discipline of overcoming obstacles: Perception, Action, Will
Perception (mind)
how we see and understand what happens around us and what we decide those events will mean
Context - a sense of the big picture of the world, not just what’s immediately in front of us
Framing - an individual’s unique way of looking at the world and interpreting its events
can be a source of strength or a source of weakness
Perspective is everything - when you can break apart something or look at it from some new angle, it loses power over you
what matters is not what the obstacles are but how we see them and react to them
desperation, fear, powerlessness are functions of our perceptions
nothing makes us feel this way; we choose to give in to such feelings
reacting emotionally makes us lose perspective which makes bad things even worse
see opportunity in every disaster and transform that negative situation into a lesson
our perceptions are the one thing that we’re in complete control of
no one else can control our thoughts, our beliefs, and our reactions - therefore we are never completely powerless
no situation is inherently good or bad - we judge them as such based on our perceptions
when we aim high, pressure and stress inevitably come for the ride
steady nerves and poise are more important than talent in stressful times
getting emotional is rarely constructive in helping to improve our situation
real strength lies in the ability to control our emotions, not in pretending they don’t exist
take your situation and pretend it’s not happening to you and it’s not important before deciding on the solution
focusing exclusively on what is in our power, magnifies our power
focus on the what is in front of you and ignore the why
Adversarial Growth - that which doesn’t kill us makes us stronger
problems are rarely as bad as we think - they are precisely as bad as we think
Action (body)
act with deliberation, boldness, and persistence
each obstacle we overcome makes us stronger for the next one
be deliberate but always keep moving forward
courage, at its most basic level, is taking action
conditions will never be perfect - start now and create your own momentum
genius is often just persistence in disguise
working at it works; it’s that simple
Winning Mindset:
never in a hurry
never worried
never desperate
never giving up
persist and resist - persist in your efforts; resist giving into distractions and discouragements
when you’re in it for the long haul, temporary setbacks are not discouraging
they are just bumps along a long road that you intend to travel all the way down on
doing new things invariably means obstacles; a new path is, by definition, uncleared
it’s OK to be discouraged but it’s not OK to quit
there’s nothing shameful about being wrong, about changing course
action and failure are two sides of the same coin - one doesn’t come without the other
anticipated, temporary failure hurts less than catastrophic, permanent failure
failure is bad only when we fail to learn a lesson from it
failure shows us the way by showing us what isn’t the way
follow the process and not the prize
everything is a chance to do and be your best
in any job, work hard, be honest, and help others along the way
how we do anything is how we do everything
focus on the results and not the methods
think progress, not perfection
having the advantage of strength or size can be a long-term disadvantage because the inertia of early success will make it less likely to develop good technique
moving forward is not always the best way to advance
external factors may influence the path, but not the direction: forward
learn to press forward when everyone else sees disaster
you never want a serious crisis go to waste
we can’t control the world around us, so even with the right perception and right action, we can still fail
Will (heart & soul)
our internal power which can never be affected by the outside world
find purpose and relief in a cause bigger than yourself and your personal struggles
will is the discipline of the heart and soul
bear and forbear - acknowledge the pain but trod onward in your task
during the hardest times, the world gets a glimpse of what’s truly inside you
the will allows us to stand undisturbed while others wilt and give in to disorder
confident, calm, ready to work, willing and able to continue regardless of the conditions and even during the unthinkable
physical and mental strength are connected - sound mind in a strong body
the path of least resistance is a terrible teacher
Premortem - envisioning what could/will go wrong in advance, before the start
always be prepared for a disruption and work it into the plan
be prepared for failure and ready for success
when the cause of our problem lies outside of our control, we are better for accepting it and moving on
with a long-term view, whatever you have to accept is only a minor blip on the way to your goal
discard your expectations, accept what happens to us - understanding that certain things (especially bad things) are outside our control, and learn to find a joy in every single thing that happens to us in life
turn what we must do, into what we get to do
we don’t get to choose what happens to us, but we can always choose how we feel about it
there is always some good - even if only barely perceptible at first - contained within the bad, so we might as well enjoy it
perseverance is similar to persistence but more long term
determination is invincible, it can’t be stopped by anything but death
never lower yourself to being a person you don’t like
shared purpose gives us strength - focus on helping others or simply providing a good example, and your own personal fears will diminish
‘how can i make it better for others?’ instead of ‘why did this happen to me?’
whatever trouble you’re having is not unique, special, or unfair
be strong for others and it will make you stronger
death doesn’t make life pointless, but rather purposeful
embracing the precariousness of our own existence can be empowering
we act like we’re impervious to the trials and tribulations of mortality
reminding ourselves each day that we will die helps us be grateful for our time
Conclusion
each time you navigate an obstacle, you learn something, develop strength, wisdom, perspective and become a better version of you
life is a marathon, not a sprint, each battle is only one of many and you can use it to make the next one easier
never rattled or frantic, always deliberate
flip the obstacles that life throws at you by improving not just in spite of the, but because of them
no longer afraid but excited, cheerful and eagerly anticipating the next round