We are often faced with challenging situations on a daily basis. When we are confronted with a new situation, we tend to make a very quick automatic decision as to whether we feel we have the attributes to take a situation in our stride or whether we feel we will be challenged by the situation and get worried about how we will cope.
So when you are faced with a challenge, or a new task or even a difficult relationship, there are usually 5 attributes that we have which will impact either positively or negatively on our performance.
So ask yourself, which of these attributes you possess and what questions do you ask yourself when faced with a challenging situation?
1) Your abilities
What can I bring to this task? What are the skills, resources or existing knowledge that I already have and what are the strengths, values or relationships I could tap into even if I don’t have the current ability?
2) Your approach
How am I approaching this task? What are my motivation levels? What is my interest? What do I hope to achieve? Am I clear on what I want to achieve?
3) Your reward
What could I gain if I was to become involved in this project (issue, relationship etc). What potentially could I achieve, or change in my workplace, life or in this relationship? What could I gain?
4) Your Colleagues
How do you interact with your colleagues or with friends/associates/family? How do you enhance your relationships? Do you focus on a win/win approach?
5) Your state of mind
Are you in a state of mind to rise to the challenge. Do you have a fixed mindset or a growth mindset when it comes to the issue? Are your thoughts focused on a self-fulfilling prophecy with a negative or positive bias?
Interestingly, our state of mind accounts for at least 50% of the variation in an individual’s performance, but we only spend 5% of time optimising our performance through mental training.
It is recognised that we can enhance our mental toughness and the ability to handle many situations. An individual who has mental toughness is somebody who doesn’t choke, doesn’t go into shock and can stand up for what he/she believes in. Mental toughness allows us to handle pressure, distractions and people trying to break our concentration. It involves focus, discipline, self-confidence, patience, persistence, accepting responsibility without whining or excuses, visualising, tolerating pain and having a positive approach.
Mental toughness incorporates intervention such as a focus on visualising outcomes, managing stress, anxiety control, goalsetting, positive thinking and building confidence to manage change and challenges through coaching and targeted interventions.
Want to know more about managing your stress and developing your Mental Toughness?
If so, contact me at michelle@bakjacconsulting.com for more information.
Michelle Bakjac is an experienced Psychologist, Organisational Consultant, Coach, Speaker and Facilitator. As Director of Bakjac Consulting, she is a credentialed Coach with the International Coach Federation (ICF) and a member of Mental Toughness Partners and an MTQ48 accredited Mental Toughness practitioner. Michelle assists individuals and organisations to develop their Mental Toughness to improve performance, leadership, behaviour and wellbeing.
