UNITED STATES—I am learning each day as I get older, you’re never too old to learn something new. You might be thinking, why this matters. Well, I’m trying to explain how resiliency can be such a powerful tool, especially when you think you cannot bounce back. If there is ever a term that defines me as an individual, I always utilize ‘resilient.’
I consider myself a fighter and fight for what I believe in and what I think I’m capable of accomplishing. The worst thing you can tell me is that I cannot do something, because I will do everything in my power to prove that I can. This is not about me one-upping or proving the person wrong. That does nothing for me. My goal is to prove to myself my capabilities.
It comes with being challenged. That is the thing about life, you are always going to be challenged in ways that you expect and least expect at times. It can be frustrating in life, but it is a test of sorts at times. Are you going to crumble and just give up or are you going to fight to sustain and push through. Yes, when times become difficult it is easy at times to just throw in the towel and say I just cannot do it. Especially for me because I get too much in my head. I’m very critical of myself especially when I feel I haven’t delivered as much as I hoped for.
Beating yourself up too much is not a good thing, because it can place you in that state of mind where you are always feeling defeated no matter what you attempt or aim to do. Yes, I can say that because I definitely think that psyches me out at times. I get into my own head and I have been working tirelessly to change that. Sometimes a pep talk helps more than you imagine. Look, you may not have closed that sale or deal this time, but guess what, you’ll get them on the next go around, trust me it’s going to happen.
You do at times have to boost your own ego, but not be arrogant about it. Being confident is one thing but being dismissive and not being able to accept constructive criticism can be your downfall. It is NOT easy to hear you have been struggling with this or that, but that is the key to improving and excelling. Take what you know needs work and actively work to do better. Don’t resist or fight against it and trust me you are going to want to, but you cannot be your best if you’re not trying to give your best.
When you do anything in life you have to give it 100 percent. That notion of 110 or 200 percent, I always find odd, because you really cannot give more than a 100 percent if we’re thinking practically. As long as you’re not going into something with the notion of failure being obvious you can make success unfold. The success may not ALWAYS come right away, but it will indeed come to you. I always say in life, “We’re not afraid of failure, we’re afraid of success.” Why? Failure is something we expect and encounter all the time, success not so much. So the notion of it happening is not just scary, but it can be debilitating at times.
Written By Jason Jones
