Gonzaga: Tough times call for mental toughness

WE ARE living through clear hard, turbulent, pandemic times. Tough times like this call for strong spirit and mental toughness. Unless we have a strong anchor in life, we can easily drift and be overwhelmed by multitudinous worries. There is the very real threat of coronavirus, shortage of food and basic necessities. In Metro Manila now, there are long lines in supermarkets and drugstores, of individuals in panic mode. Panic buying has taken over middle and upper classes, whilst the poor suffer in silence over food and water shortage. One Baseco (urban poor garbage settlement in Manila) expressed in utter resignation, "Coronavirus is not our urgent concern, it is food to eat and water to boil our rice with."

Tough times indeed, not only for the poor but the stressed-out members of the Pinoy lower middle and middle classes, having hard time stretching their budget with spiraling cost of living in the big city. But, how are we to survive the pandemic of Covid-19, or the idiocy of Duterte government?

Mental toughness is a vital trait in times like this, on top of finding an immovable mooring in El Shaddai-the Eternal, Almighty, Living God. Woe to the man or woman who remains rudderless at this time, and ignores God's call, "Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."

With faith, we need to cultivate mental toughness, a vital trait. It is not something that comes naturally or easily to most people. Rather, it is a badge that must be earned, and even after you earn it, you must work diligently.

Mental toughness (Mento) is grit -- the ability to work hard and respond resiliently to failure and adversity. Mento is the inner quality that enables individuals to work hard and stick to their long-term passions and goals. Grit is a mandatory quality of every successful person -- mental toughness that is foundation for long term success.

Mental toughness allows for delayed gratification. It helps withstand temptation. It's essential to overcome fear. It's synonymous with being brave and courageous. Mentally tough people consistently do what's right because they know what's important.

Here are how we can cultivate grit and mental fortitude, and build self-up to be more successful:

* Act out your identity as one favored of God, thus, one in control. Pray and believe God will take care of all; act as His medium to work all things for good, claiming Romans 8:28, "For all things work together for good to those who love God, and are called according to His purpose."

* Discard things you have no ability to impact. Even with experience, mental strength remains a limited resource. Thus, don't waste your Mento on things you can't control.

* Consider the past as valuable training, nothing more. Learn from your mistakes and those of others, while gleaning from your successes. But, do not hold on past successes, let them go--successes and failures.

* Rejoice with others in their success. Success is not a zero-sum game, one man's gain, another man's loss. Instead hold an abundance viewpoint, not the scarcity mindset. Bitterness and resentment drain up enormous amount of mental resources. Use others' successes as a springboard for your own.

* Never give in to whining, complaining or criticizing. Whining and complaining make you feel worse. Words and self-declarations are powerful -- even those words whispered quietly. Waste no time complaining; instead, put that energy into making any worst situation better.

* Focus on self-acceptance, and self-impression. Waste no time, money and energy on things meant to impress others. Focus on building authenticity in yourself and relationships that make you happier.

* Count your many blessings, "name them one by one" as soon as you wake up, before you switch off the lights at night, and all through the day. At midday, pause to count your blessings. Worry not about what you don't have, focus instead, enjoy what you have, and be grateful.