{"id":4621,"date":"2021-11-11T08:57:11","date_gmt":"2021-11-11T14:57:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cooking2thrive.com\/blog\/?p=4621"},"modified":"2021-11-11T08:57:13","modified_gmt":"2021-11-11T14:57:13","slug":"fortitude","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cooking2thrive.com\/blog\/fortitude\/","title":{"rendered":"Fortitude"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Is fortitude key to thriving?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the past 30 days, I\u2019ve had two days off. For the past two weeks, I\u2019ve worked 12 plus hours per day. This temporary gig requires patience and humor. Without a great deal of fortitude, I\u2019d be sunk. As an entrepreneur, I have long been aware that tenacity, fortitude<\/a>, and flexibility are more important to achievement than intelligence, knowledge, and contacts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Fortitude is what gets you through when you do everything\nright and things still turn out wrong. It\u2019s what allows you to get out of bed\nand be excited about a project no one else appreciates. It\u2019s what enables you\nto be ethical even when it means your bottom line will take a hit. And\nfortitude supports the patience it takes to slowly build a successful endeavor.\nMost importantly, fortitude is what allows us to weather the storms that come\nour way, slog through the aftermath, and emerge better for having had the\nexperience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019d be willing to wager that those who had previously developed\nfortitude have been less detrimentally affected by the pandemic than others. That\ndoesn\u2019t mean they felt the losses and inconveniences any less, it just means\nthey had a well of mental and emotional strength to draw from while envisioning\nways to navigate the rapidly changing environment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While most years won\u2019t bring a pandemic, all will bring unexpected\nchallenges beyond our control. So how does fortitude fit into everyday life?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Life is a game.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We seem to recognize the value of fortitude in sports\ncompetition. We expect elite athletes to train relentlessly, endure painful\ninjuries, and still perform. We expect them to be able to focus and deliver\npeak performance no matter what is reported about them in the press. We feel\nfree to bash them publicly when they struggle with their head game. And yet\nmany of us allow ourselves to be mentally and emotionally lazy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But life is the overarching game. And creating the life we\ndesire is infinitely more achievable when we are mentally tough and emotionally\nbalanced. We are all capable of improvement. All we need is to prioritize and\npractice building our skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sooner, the better.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve seen adults who had very little difficulty early in\nlife self-destruct when hard times finally found them. Perhaps if they had\ndeveloped fortitude sooner, they could have continued their early success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Failure and fortitude go hand in hand. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

No matter what you\u2019re attempting, you will sometimes fail. As\nlong as you keep learning from momentary setbacks, you will remain on a path to\nsuccess. Each failure helps build fortitude.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everyone\u2019s tolerance is different.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Developing mental toughness requires difficulty. Removing\nall difficulty and pain will not help a child, for instance, develop fortitude.\nBut each child will have a different level of tolerance. And each will require\na unique approach for absorbing difficulty as a positive experience. Finding that\napproach and encouraging children while allowing them to feel disappointment,\nfrustration, fear, sadness, and anger are key roles of parenting. Adults can be\nguided similarly by spiritual leaders, life coaches, therapeutic techniques,\nand even trusted friends or empathetic bosses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Avoidance may be more pleasant in any given moment, but in\nthe long-term can contribute to additional avoidant behaviors, more chaos, less\nresilience, a lack of follow-through, an inability to stick with a plan, and a\ntendency to quit rather than persevere. A bit of struggle is a good thing so\nlong as it doesn\u2019t overwhelm to the point of becoming traumatic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Boundaries are essential.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you are capable of more, you will be asked to do more. No\nmatter how tough you are, there is a point at which taking on more is\nunhealthy. Setting and enforcing boundaries is essential for keeping your load\nat a level that allows you to thrive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Building fortitude can help you reframe \u201cI can\u2019t.\u201d to \u201cHow\ncan I best approach this?\u201d That tiny shift can make all the difference in how\nyou feel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That can be the difference between surviving and thriving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Can Really Big Buts Keep Us From Thriving?<\/a><\/blockquote>