A Resilient Mindset Changes Everything
They say that you are what you eat. It sounds strange at first but quickly begins to make sense. We are significantly impacted by the food that we put in our bodies, and different foods can cause a wide variety of effects in people. While it is inevitable that different physiologies will respond to foods differently, there are some general trends: large amounts of carbs can cause brain-fog and sleepiness, sugars can make you temporarily energetic but will eventually result in a crash, and proteins can increase your mental alertness and facilitate muscle growth.
You are what you eat—true. But that’s not the only thing.
What if I told you that you also are what you think?
To illustrate this, we might imagine a high-level athlete in any sport. They spend their days training, honing their skills and improving their general physical condition to be in the best shape that they can be.
Now imagine this athlete showing up on the day of their competition. They have worked and trained harder than anyone else there. But when the event begins, they lose their composure. As they look around them, they see other athletes who appear equally well-trained. They think back to past competitions that ended in failure. Anxious thoughts and doubts begin to cloud their judgement, and the confidence that they once had begins to fade rapidly. And as their confidence begins to fade, so too their performance. In the end, it costs them the match—a sad day for our imagined athletic friend. But what might they have done differently?
Adopting the Resilient Mindset
Mindset is a valuable component that determines success, either for good or for ill. But we are often not accustomed to thinking about mindset as a thing that can be cultivated and changed. In other words, we miss the simple and empowering fact that mindset is a habit.
In response to some of these modern problems surrounding anxiety and negative thinking, some writers and thinkers have looked back to find ancient solutions. Among those ancient solutions, many have turned to the writings of stoic thinkers such as Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, and Epictetus.
While we might differ from these thinkers in various ways, they have some important lessons to teach us. And for the most part, these lessons have to do with cultivating a truly resilient mindset that can weather the challenges of life.
But what does such a mindset look like?
At the most basic level, this mindset understands deeply that there are things inside and outside of our control. Epictetus writes, “Some things are in our control and others not. Things in our control are opinion, pursuit, desire, aversion, and, in a word, whatever are our own actions. Things not in our control are body, property, reputation, command, and, in one word, whatever are not our own actions.”
When circumstances begin to spiral out of control, we can begin to think that our personal happiness or success is dependent on chance. But by realizing that our happiness is dependent not on random life circumstances but on our own choices and responses to those circumstances, we can begin to develop a resilient mindset.
When we make strides towards adopting this mindset, we become much freer. All that we need to live a good life lies in the decisions we make. If we apply ourselves to our work, love our friends and family well, and deal kindly with others, we will live far more interesting and fulfilling lives than the people whose mental and emotional states rise and fall with the currents of circumstance.
As you go through life, the struggles and challenges will not get any easier. But by constantly reminding yourself that your happiness does not depend on circumstances, you will begin to enjoy the benefits of a resilient mindset. When you are in the midst of a high-pressure situation like our imaginary athlete, you will no longer buckle under the pressure. You will acknowledge that you might win or lose and that neither course of action will make you even 1% better or worse than you were before.
And then you will give it your all—not because your happiness depends on your success, but because your happiness depends on your choice to live life to the fullest.
