TODAY’S TOUGHNESS TEST
We all like to think we’re pretty tough, but the true measure of toughness is how we respond when things don’t go our way, when conditions aren’t ideal, or when we’re faced with a situation we wouldn’t have chosen. Every decision we make in those moments reveals the reality of who we are and what we’re made of, and that response we choose prepares us - for better or worse - for the bigger challenges that are to come.
If you’re someone who’s committed to building your toughness, I'd encourage you to re-frame those unwanted and unexpected challenges you face as a test you’ve been given. The question life asks us in our moments of testing is pretty simple. “Are you tough enough - resilient enough, flexible enough, and committed enough - to handle this?” Instead of feeling victimized by a challenging circumstance, re-framing it as a test empowers you to do what anyone who’s given a test is responsible for doing. You are responsible for providing an answer.
When you re-frame your challenging moments as a test, what you’re facing becomes an opportunity to validate that you do in fact possess this critically important winning quality. You don't just exist at the mercy of the situation. You are empowered to respond like a champion. With this approach, even the small inconveniences and annoyances of life become an opportunity for you to show both yourself and those around you what you’re made of. When you adopt that mindset, bigger and more complicated challenges only provide you with bigger and more impressive opportunities to prove - both to yourself and to others - that you are in fact worthy of the success you say you're after.
That’s one important reason why passing today’s toughness test is so important, because winning in any important area of life requires it. Champions recognize that challenge and adversity are always part of any meaningful pursuit, and that overcoming them is part of the price we pay for success. Accepting that harsh reality for yourself means accepting that your performance in today’s moment of testing may very well determine whether or not you achieve the winning outcome you want.
Another reason passing today’s toughness test is important is because it casts yet another vote for your identity as a champion. The more often and more effectively you pass these tests, the more ingrained your toughness becomes, and the more clearly your identity is revealed. Pass the tests often enough and it becomes just who you are and just what you do. Believe it or not, you might even find yourself looking forward to the chance to show off who you are when things get tough. The truth is, the challenges don't get easier. You just get better.
Finally, passing today’s toughness test is important because it best prepares you to pass what may be an even bigger and more important test to come. None of us knows for sure what the future holds, but I'm confident that for many of us, our proudest achievements - and therefore our biggest tests - are ahead. Someday, when success in some important area is reserved only for those with the highest levels of toughness, you'll be glad that's exactly what you spent all this time working hard to build.
So if today things don’t go your way today, if conditions aren’t ideal, or if you’re faced with a situation you wouldn’t have chosen, remember…this is only a test. Don’t be victimized by the question life has asked. Instead, provide an answer you can be proud of. Validate that you are resilient enough, flexible enough, and committed enough to handle this challenge. Respond like a champion, and in doing so, prove you’ve got what it takes to pass the test.