By Wendy Lynne, www.mentaltoughnesstrainer.com

Wendy Lynne is the Director of Mental Toughness Academy. The Academy’s online Mental Toughness Training helps kids build confidence, focus, determination and the ability to bounce back from adversity—what we call Mental Toughness. Her passion is helping kids, their parents and coaches transform their thinking so they lead happier, healthier and more successful lives. Go here to get a free ebook, “The 10 Commandments To Being A Great Sports Parent”, and a free training for youth athletes: “How To Master the Pressure.”

In the sports world, it seems like all the messages are about struggle, fight, win!

Yes, you hear about how the “struggle” brings you success, happiness, and fame. But how often do you hear the message: find the happiness and joy in what you have right now?

I think what you can model and talk about to your niece and nephew is about how so much of life is about finding the lemonade in the bag of lemons that you are handed right now.

Help them to see their successes in the here and now.

Success starts with finding serendipity—spotting the moments of joy and peace that brighten your otherwise stressful and busy days.

These moments of calm and serenity are all around us. Waiting to be noticed. Waiting to inspire greatness.

And if you’re looking for them, you’ll find them.

Explain to that them that it is easy (and natural) to feel broken and depressed by the stresses of daily life like having to go to school, do homework, do chores, etc. Help them to notice what is extraordinary in their daily lives.

What the most successful people in the world know is how to find happiness and enjoyment amidst stress and complexity.

I recently read an article that mentioned when the highly secretive United States National Security Agency looks at finding and hiring the world’s smartest mathematicians and scientists as code breakers, they don’t just look for genius in the areas of math and science and theoretic analysis. They pursue brilliant people who are also inclined to appreciate art and who have musical talents. What the NSA has learned from exploring and cultivating genius is that brilliance and ideation is directly tied to beauty and art and serendipity.

What’s the lesson? The better you are at slowing down to appreciate the wonders around you, the better decisions you will make. The more options you will see. The smarter you will be.

Be smart. = Stop and smell the roses.

It is true that “what doesn’t kill you can make you stronger”, but it can also leave you broken and unfit to conquer.

It is when you see the positives in your situation that you are best prepared to experience breakthrough.

So perhaps the question isn’t: “What’s wrong with this situation?” Perhaps the better question is: “What’s positive with this bad situation?”

Help them to see that the wonders of the world around them can inspire them to be amazing.

Photo: chrisroll
Published: April 30, 2013