Last Updated on May 26, 2022 by eidesk
I often contribute to my local radio station’s “The Thought That Counts” slot, which is broadcast on the breakfast show and the lunchtime show over a period of a week. Each broadcast lasts about 90 seconds. My contributions are all based around some aspect of emotional intelligence. During the pandemic, I’ve concentrated on aspects of resilience and delivered these without reference to the situation, allowing people to interpret them in whatever way suits them. I’ve put my contributions together as hints and tips in this podcast. On this occasion, my reflections cover the skills and qualities of resilience, covering Drive and Determination, Feeling in Control, Flexibility, Motivation and Stress Tolerance. I hope that you enjoy the podcast and these The Thought That Counts.
The Thought That Counts. Migrating animals have an internal compass that drives them to make journeys of many thousands of miles across unfamiliar terrains to breed, for food, or to live in more favourable environments. Migration takes place in groups with a sociability factor. Sociability cab be a great driver supporting motivation as everyone wants to work together towards the same goal. This ensures that the group works towards the ultimate goal successfully. When considering new drive and determination; Where does your drive come from? What motivates you? How much do you rely on others to support you and drive you towards the goal? How dependent are you on others to keep you motivated? What aspects of your motivation can a group benefit from? How much are you concerned about harmony and keeping the group together? How do you view conflict in the group? How does this affect you and your feelings of security? Real motivation is a drive that comes from within. You know where you’re going because you have a compelling image inside, not a travel poster on the wall. If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.
The Thought That Counts. S ailing a small yacht means knowing the capabilities of the craft and utilising all the available resources to sail skillfully across the sea. Being in control means the yacht can be manoeuvred quickly and easily. Clever harnessing of resources allows for the yacht to be sailed by adapting to subtle changes in the use of the sailor’s body, the boat and the elements. The direction of the sail can be changed frequently according to the speed and direction of the wind. Changing the direction of a large vessel such as an oil tanker is not as easy as it takes a lot of time and a lot of energy. In order to feel in control; How do you identify the skills and resources that you need? How can you harness all the necessary resources? How do you practice and develop your skills? How confident are you in your ability to meet any challenge? What do you need to develop further to meet these challenges? What does it take to get you immersed in an activity and to feel in control? How does it feel to be in control and maintain this? How do you adapt to circumstances as they change? How does this impact upon you? What needs to happen for you to regain control? When you can’t control what’s happening, challenge yourself to control the way that you respond to what’s happening .
That’s where your power is. The Thought That Counts. Being flexible means being able to change or be changed easily according to the situation. Some people can find it very difficult to cope with change. They deny any change is happening and hope that things will remain the same or go back to how they were. In changing circumstances and under pressure, ostriches bury their head in the sand. A tree can withstand the elements and changes in the weather. It has the flexibility to bend in high winds to flourish in changing circumstances. How flexible are you? How do you cope with severe change? How important to you is the degree of stability and consistency? What is your attitude to circumstances that change beyond your control? How much do you resist change and pretend it’s not happening? How involved are you in driving change and making it happen? How do you support others who deny or resist change? What needs to happen to build your confidence and build the confidence in others around change? How to others view your flexibility ? Is your flexibility a skill or is your flexibility a liability? Flexibility is the key to stability. Blessed are the flexible for they will not be bent out of shape.
The Thought That Counts. Have you ever watched wheelchair rugby? The players have overcome major adversity and doing something that’s fun, competitive and that they enjoy. They faced life-challenging physical events and have taken up new challenges to ensure that they still enjoy life and the contributions that they can make. Despite major setbacks, there’s a determination not to let these setbacks get in the way of ambition. Whatever life throws at them, these people will carry on enjoying the challenge of life with optimism and a positive outlook. In working with determination. What is your reaction to facing adversity ? How do you react to major life changing events? What’s your reaction to situations that may seem insurmountable? How do you develop your ambition and determination? What do you do to acquire new skills, to take on new challenges? How much are you prepared to change your life completely? How much is your determination within yourself to do better or beat the competition? How collaborative are you in your determination to succeed? How do others view your determination and persistence? Success in life comes when you simply refuse to give up, with goals so strong that obstacles, failures and loss only act as motivation. The Thought That Counts. Tolerating a certain amount of stress is a normal part of everyday life and presents a challenge that everyone has to cope with, particularly at work.
There should be sufficient challenge for people to feel stretched in order to develop and balanced so that they can cope. Stress levels are going to vary from individual to individual. Too much stress leads to health issues and burnout, whilst too little leads to frustration and boredom. When considering your stress tolerance; How do you view stress? How do you manage your stress? How do you build tolerance in stressful situations? What can you do to prevent situations from becoming too stressful? How do you go about prioritising things? What do you do to reduce stress? How much stress challenges you and stretches you? How do you feel when you’re outside of your comfort zone? How aware are others of your level of stress? What impact does your stress have on them? What do you do to relax? What makes you calm and contented? Be careful what you tolerate, you teaching people how to treat you. It’s not the load that breaks you, it’s the way you carry it. I’m Robin Hills from EI4Change. Empowering your emotional management. The Thought That Counts.
