““Change is the law of life, and those who look only to the past and present are certain to miss the future.” - John F. Kennedy

Are you comfortable stepping into the unknown? As you come to a crossroad in life, what do you choose, the safe option or the option that carries more risk?

One of the 4 Cs of Mental Toughness,

Challenge

assesses our attitude towards change. Some look at the unknown and see it as threatening and to be avoided. Others seek to stretch themselves and see taking risks as interesting and exciting, even seeing that there is an opportunity for learning and personal development.

In our work or school lives, we will all find that we come to a “crossroads” where there are a number of options and a choice has to be made at some point. Some will decide to play it safe, some will choose to ‘stretch’ themselves and get out of their comfort zone.  Most of the time, the option that carries more risk also carries more promise of reward.

So, what do you do at those crossroads?

Examples-

Executives: Asked to make a presentation to a new team that could help your company to grow (which is really needed right now), instead of doing usual job responsibilities

Athletes: Asked to step in to take the game winning or losing shot that decides the game or sitting it out

Students: Completing a final exam by doing a creative presentation of material instead of studying for and taking a long test

So what do you do, take the safe option or the more risky option?

In this area of risk orientation, we are really getting at the extent to which we can

manage our fears

In this area of Mental Toughness, those that score lower in risk orientation, tend to:

·      Not like sudden changes

·      Have a fear of failure

·      Deal poorly with fear or worry

·      Avoid effort

·      Prefer routine

Those that score higher in risk orientation, tend to:

·      Like challenge

·      Work hard

·      Happy to commit to projects, studies, extra work

·      Enjoy competition and show it

·      Provoke change, and take the lead where needed

Studies are supporting that individuals who score higher in Risk Orientation make better Leaders and Managers in business, better team leaders of sport teams and do better academically because they display higher levels of optimism and that ‘can do’ attitude.

High risk orientation people embody more of a growth mindset, focusing on what they can learn along the way which keeps them moving in a forward trajectory instead of playing it safe and having the mindset, that when failure occurs, that casts a negative light on how smart or capable they are.

After working with many Hiring Managers at a number of companies in a variety of industries, Hiring Managers consistently report that they want to hire candidates that score higher in risk orientation. There is one thing that is common in business, CHANGE, and when you have employees that embrace change, it makes the businesses success more likely, and Managers like employees that say, “Yes, I’d love to tackle that project for you!”

Executives, athletes and students who test their Mental toughness gain self-awareness of what their risk orientation scores are, giving them the knowledge and tools needed to build their Mental Toughness muscles and enhance their scores.

If you are interested in testing your Mental toughness or getting someone else tested, please schedule a Discovery meeting with Shannon Peck at this link:

https://mentallytoughedge.com/#calendar-2h2Q77URil

Remember, with a great Mindset, comes great Results!