DIFFICULT & IMPOSSIBLE

Mental Toughness and its traits. In this article I wanted to give you a couple of examples of just how tough and or mentally strong people can be when they want something. Occasionally, we reach obstacles in our lives that may appear insurmountable. Face to face with a roadblock that stands between us and happiness or success, we may feel compelled to retreat or – even worse – give up.

At one point or another, everyone has found themselves without motivation or with no will to keep going. Whether it was during a deeply personal trauma in your life, or a hardship brought on by work or school, these moments can sometimes overcome us and cut us off at the knees if we let them.

But (this is important): difficult and impossible are different words that mean different things, and your difficult challenges don’t have to be impossible challenges if you try hard enough.  In fact, as long as you embrace challenges and not let them overcome challenges, they may actually shape you for the better.

 

These two stories are truly inspiring and show mental toughness like no other…  

Dave Clark

The Dave Clark story is the true story of one incredible man who refused to give up his dream to play professional baseball, despite the crippling aftermath of polio. Much more than a story about baseball, it is a motivational record of Clark’s amazing and inspiring life. Learning to play the game on a home field while still using crutches, Clark boldly pursues his dream, ultimately entering the professional stage as a pitcher in the minor leagues at just five-foot, two-inches tall.

Imagine being 5-foot-2 and playing professional baseball. And not just playing, but managing, coaching, scouting, owning a professional barnstorming team that toured the country and traveling Europe as a representative of Major League Baseball.

Now imagine doing it all on crutches due to polio. Dave’s is an amazing story that clearly exemplifies mental toughness and a never give up attitude.

 

What about this one…

When 12-year-old Jason Lester was hit by a car and suffered a collapsed lung, among many things, and a paralyzed arm.

Jason Lester

He never thought he would be able to play sport again, worse still while he was still in the hospital recovering, his father, and sole guardian died of a heart attack. But he kept on going; he could never have dreamed that decades later, he’d be a world-class endurance sports champion.

Today, he can swim faster, ride further and run incredible distances as an Ironman and Ultraman, and he does it all without the full use of his right arm.

In 2007, Lester founded the Never Stop Foundation. The Foundation aims to use athletics to teach its young participants how to think creatively about their lives – then give them the practical skills to turn their dreams into reality. Helping them to build a strong life mentally, physically, and spiritually, further enabling them to reach their full potential.

 

Both of these men could have given up and just relinquished control to disability and to blame others for their situations but they didn’t. I hope these stories inspire you to develop your mental toughness in whatever you do because everyone encounters adversity. No one is ever singled out. No one knows why some things happen, they just do. Some decide to regain their footing, catch their breath and keep walking forward.

Keep focused on your purpose and vision, saying I will never give up.  That makes it possible for you to get through any adversity you are facing because you know that your dream is bigger than the present circumstances you are experiencing.

 

Photo credits

http://lavamagazine.com

http://www.mentaltoughnesstrainer.com

http://www.officiallyfun.com