2 Ways to Become a Mentally Tougher Man (DQ Solo)

The Great Man Within

#133: By mental toughness I mean:

• Your ability to maintain your power in the worst of moments.

• Your ability to navigate uncomfortable and uncertain terrain clarity and focus

• Your ability to avoid collapsing (distracting, numbing, medicating, rationalizing, withdrawing) when things get tough.

Back in September, I gave you 5 physical practices to become a mentally tougher man.

Here are two more non-physical ways:

#1. The Ability to Hold Paradox

“The test of a first-rate intelligence

is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind

at the same time

and still retain the ability to function.”

• Scott Fitzgerald

Our world is so polarized today that very few have developed the ability to function when faced with someone who disagrees with them.

The man who can hold his worldview, while fully considering another, is the man who will help us build a better normal.

#2. The Ability to Embrace Interconnectedness

“Lakota Warriors had a deep reverence for the mysteries of life.

That’s where their power and sense of freedom came from.

To the Lakota, everything was sacred, even their enemy,

because of their belief in the interconnectedness of life.”

• Phil Jackson, Sacred Hoops

Too many men operate in the bubbles of their own little worlds, refusing to or incapable of acknowledging that how they behave has a ripple effect that spans far beyond what they can see with their own eye.

This allows men to rationalize bad behavior or what they perceive to be “no big deal” offenses that do in fact carry an impact.

If an event in Wuhan can bring the entire world to its knees, we must acknowledge our vast potential to impact communities far beyond our own little worlds.

Today’s episode digs much deeper into each of these two categories…

…in an effort to continue refining your mental toughness.