I love it when an underdog wins. Underdogs in sporting events become favorites because they represent most people . An underdog has had to overcome obstacles at every turn. The underdog has to work harder, train longer, and play with a ferocity reserved for hungry lions . I was watching an indoor track meet on TV recently . The event was the 1500 m men’s final. The announcers let the viewers know who the three best runners were. As the race progressed the three best runners ran bunched together at the head of the pack. They gradually pulled away. A lone runner from the pack broke free from the pack and was running 10 m behind the group of the three. The pace picked up as they entered the final two laps of the indoor track. One of the top tree runners separated from the other two top runners. As the rounded into the final home stretch, the underdog, the runner in 4th place, started running as if he were being chased by a pack of hungry wolves. He passed the third runner, then the second runner. The crowd was going crazy. The lead runner looked over his right shoulder and as he did the underdog flew by him and won the 1500m by two strides. Underdogs don’t quit, they work harder. C’mon, underdog, you got this!
toughness
Health Tips: Make Winning a Habit
Losing weight requires mental toughness. It’s not easy. Food surrounds us. We can’t live without it. The right foods sustain our health. The wrong foods can contribute to all types of health problems. So, how do you eat healthy and lose those extra pounds? You have to figure out the diet and healthy foods that work for you. You can check out my Healthy Foods & Recipes blog post. It comes out daily. Once you decide on your eating plan here’s a mental toughness tip to get you to the finish line.
Mental Toughness Tip
The following tip works with any habit you’re trying to break or instill. A big problem with breaking a habit or trying to develop a different habit is that we get discouraged when we fail. Often, after a couple of failures we may say to ourselves, “What’s the use.” We stop trying. Okay, here’s what you do. Take a plain sheet of paper. Draw a line down the middle so you have two columns. On top of the left hand column mark a W. On top of the right hand column mark an L. W equals win. L equals loss. Each day that you win put a mark under the W. Each time you fail, put a mark under the L. Here’s what you’ll see. You’ll discover that you’re getting more W’s than L’s. No sports team has all W’s. Why should you? Stay with it for 30 days. At the end of the 30 days count up your W’s and L’s. You’ll discover you’ve broken the habit you wanted to break. Or, you acquired the habit you wanted to acquire. It’s the W’s that count. You’re not perfect, you’ll get an L or two, big deal. Let’s get started. You can do this!
Podcast: Overcoming Grief: Lessons from Poetry on Perseverance & Courage
In Season 2, Episode 14 of Journey from Grief to Healing, Dr. Ray Calabrese explores perseverance as our secret weapon in grief. Each triumph over adversity strengthens us, proving that we are more resilient than we realize. Drawing from the wisdom of Elizabeth Edwards, Pablo Neruda, Anne Sexton, and contemporary poet Quiet Wolf, this episode reflects on the transformative power of resilience in the face of loss.
Grief is a journey through darkness, much like Neruda’s metaphorical lily blooming against all odds. It is in choosing to continue, even in the smallest acts—getting out of bed, cooking a meal, or facing another day—that we reclaim our lives. Sexton’s poem Courage reminds us that resilience is found in everyday moments, proving that even in sorrow, we have the strength to move forward.
Join Dr. Calabrese in this inspiring exploration of perseverance, healing, and the courage to keep living. The victory is already yours—just keep going.
Listen Now
Healthy Tips: Learn From Your Mistakes
Mentally tough folks learn from their mistakes, they refuse to be crushed by them. Here is a tip on how to make mistakes work for you:
“Making a mistake is just a source of feedback informing you that you are off course use that data to focus on what to do next. Then forget the mistake. You can visualize yourself flushing it down the toilet or releasing it in a balloon. The point is to leave the mistake behind and build on what you’ve learned. You cannot perform at your best by focusing on your worst.” Source
Healthy Tips: Building an Antifragile Mind
The Antifragile Mind
We can become mentally stronger by recognizing the opportunities presented by adverse events. Try out the following four steps:
- Step one –Think of the last time you experienced adversity.
- Step two – List the mistakes you made that may have contributed to this event.
- Step three – What lessons do you think you can take from what happened?
- Step four – How can you learn from your mistakes and grow stronger?
Choose to be Free
“I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will.” ~ Charlotte Brontë,
Healthy Tips: Building Mental Toughness
Note: Over the next few days, the Healthy Tips blog post will focus on mental toughness. Our mental toughness helps us to overcome our challenges, big or small.
Mental Toughness Tip: “We can build mentally strong minds by increasing our focus on positive emotions such as joy, gratitude, and hope.” Source
Stay Strong, Stay Positive, and Never Give UP
I like Roy T. Bennett’s quote, ““Stay strong, stay positive, and never give up.” I reflect on my life and if I knew beforehand the challenges I’d face I would have thought only a fool would walk down that road. The crazy thing about it, whatever road we choose we can’t escape the challenges. We may as well admit were fools and toss ourselves into the mix and start walking down our road. We’ll run into challenges sooner or later. They’re there. They bite, the challenge, and they test us to see if we are man or woman enough to move on the next challenge. Imagine playing the board game Monopoly. If we back away from the challenge and refuse to confront it, we get a go directly to jail, don’t pass Go card. And, in jail we remain until we choose to take on the challenge. If you think only a fool would take on the challenge, join the club, we’re all fools taking on every challenge, proving our worth to carry on. We tattooed Roy T. Bennett’s words on our body, “Stay Strong, Stay Positive, and Never Give Up.”
Do You Fear the Wind? ~ A Poem by Hamlin Garland
Do You Fear the Wind?
Hamlin Garland
Do you fear the force of the wind,
The slash of the rain?
Go face them and fight them,
Be savage again.
Go hungry and cold like the wolf,
Go wade like the crane:
The palms of your hands will thicken,
The skin of your cheek will tan,
You’ll grow ragged and weary and swarthy,
But you’ll walk like a man!
You Are Tougher than the Tough Times
One thing is certain about life, the tough times don’t go on forever. How we navigate through them tests our character and determines the happiness we experience. We can, during those tough moments, be an example to those who see us. We can show them we have grit. We can keep on grinding until we make it through the tough times. You are tougher than your tough times. Ten times tougher, maybe 1000 times tougher. Don’t let them get you down. Stay strong, push on ahead.
