Some attributes you can see right away. Things like height, weight, or physical strength. But there are others that stay hidden until the moment they're needed. That's when you find out what someone is really made of. Not the things on the outside, but the ones on the inside.
Toughness is one of those things.
In a recent commencement address at Miami University, Super Bowl-winning coach John Harbaugh said it better than I can:
"Toughness is a talent. Toughness is a decision. And if you decide that you're willing to make the choice to be tough, to know that the doubters, the discouragers, the detractors have no power over you when you make that choice, you cannot be defeated."
You aren't born tough. You learn it, and more importantly, you choose it.
The path was never promised to be paved. The relationship was never going to be only sunsets and rainbows. The job was never going to be without adversity. Everything meaningful requires toughness at some point.
The only question is whether you'll decide to train for it so you can have it when that moment comes.
The path was never promised to be paved. Everything meaningful requires toughness at some point.
P.S. The Optimistic Outlook is a Podcast! Leaving a rating or review wherever you listen to podcasts would mean a lot.
Use Your Gifts,
John Eades
Creator, The Leadership Lens & The Optimistic Outlook