Hangin' Tough

Few things in the world are more powerful than a positive push.  A smile.  A world of optimism and hope.  A 'you can do it' when things are tough. -- Richard M. DeVos

QOTD:  Once you make the decision that you will not fail, the heart and body will follow.

Yeah, that topic of toughness is back.  Am I starting to sound like a broken record?  Maybe - but I am hoping that repetition leads to mastery.  Hey, if a bunch of teeny-bopper boys can hang tough, you know I can!

Anyway, there was a well-timed article sent out by Ironman this week about toughness - the article is here, but the three main points are these:

1. Breathe.
2. Positive self-talk.
3. Surround yourself with people who energize you.

Seems way too simple, right?  But then I realized that I encourage other people to do this ALL. THE. TIME.  Yeah, I'm one of those do-as-I-say,-not-as-I-do kind of people.  An example - a student came to my office absolutely freaking about a job interview she had the next day.  I had just finished reading an article on 4-7-8 breathing.  Don't ask, I read weird stuff sometimes.  So I told her to do it, before she had a panic attack on me (and certainly before she had a panic attack on her potential employer).  And then we talked about what she does well and how she can emphasize that in answering interview questions...which got her around to positive self-talk.  Finally, during exam season, I tell all of my students not to hang out with the kids that get all depressed and freaked out after every exam; instead, take the afternoon, go out and have some fun and get your energy back, and then get ready for the next exam.  Hanging out with the Negative Nancys will just drag you down and make it hard for you to be energized for the next test.  See?  I'm really really good at advising on how to be tough.  Just not so much on being tough.  Yet.

For right now, I'm just going to breathe...