I’ve been thinking a lot about the concept of “trust” lately – especially as it relates to our ability to persevere through challenge and adversity. Jim Collins in his book “Good to Great” identifies the “Stockdale Paradox” which is based on the story of Admiral Jim Stockdale captured in a prisoner of war camp during the Vietnam War. What allowed Stockdale to survive and lead others through the harrowing 8-year imprisonment was retaining faith that he would prevail while – simultaneously – confronting the brutal facts about his current reality. According to Collins, this powerful mindset is an observable signal of success not just for individuals but also businesses.
This aligns with what positive psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi calls “unselfconscious self-assurance”. In his book “Flow”, he shares that a belief in your own resources to determine your fate is a hallmark observed in survivors of severe ordeals. It’s not about blind optimism or arrogance about one’s ability to “dominate” adverse conditions, but rather trusting in your ability to cope with whatever comes your way.
Given our current environment, these insights can help us harness perseverance by trusting more in ourselves and own ability to find a way through adversity. We can’t control so much of what’s happening around us these days, but we can control our mindset and how we choose to focus our attention.
A mindset-shifting question you can ask yourself to help you move forward is – “How have I persevered through past challenges that I can remind myself of now to help me trust more in my own ability to survive, and maybe even thrive in this moment?”