Human attention naturally gravitates toward problems in modern life. We have a constant focus on problems and how they overshadow all of the positive experiences in our life. We do this to our own detriment. You must learn to get mentally stronger by focusing on the right things and having the right response and the right attitude. I will give my last tip of the week right after this.

When we focus on how to become mentally stronger, we must also practice gratitude. Gratitude restores balance regularly. Recognizing what is working well changes how the mind interprets daily events. If you are happy for the good things and do not focus on the bad things, your mental strength will increase. Noticing and appreciating the good that already exists is the key to happiness and mental strength.

This week, we are talking about becoming mentally stronger, the idea of neuroplasticity, neuro brain plasticity, plastic. Yes, our brains can change, become stronger over time. It is an amazing part of the brain, something that science is just now coming to terms with. I want to talk about how we can use this to become mentally stronger in our daily lives. I'll give you an example and a tip right after this.

We can become mentally stronger from learning from our setbacks. That's right. Setbacks happen to all of us. It is unpleasant, but we have to learn how to deal with it. View a setback as data, information on how you are leading your life. Mentally strong individuals treat setbacks as a way of learning to improve. They examine what happened and adjust their approach in the future. Learn from your setbacks.

Bad things happen to all of us. Sometimes events happen that we cannot control. Plans change. Mistakes occur. Unexpected challenges pop up. Our boss yells at us for absolutely no reason. All of these events may be unavoidable. However, you can control your response. I want to give you a trick in just a second that will make you better at controlling your reactions. I will be back in just a second with that tip.

You can get mentally stronger by controlling your reactions. Mental strength appears in the pause between the event and your reaction. Please take a moment to think before responding. Your outcome will be much better when reactions become thoughtful instead of emotional and automatic. You will have a much better, happier outcome without as much fighting. Control your emotions with a quick breath, and stop and think.

This week, I want to talk about how to become mentally stronger. Our mental strength is not dramatic. It is something that grows over time through repeated small habits. Our small daily habits are what end up controlling what we think about and how we act. In just a second, I will give you one example of how to become mentally stronger by accepting certain things right after this.

You become mentally stronger when you accept that discomfort is part of life. We do not like having difficult conversations with our boss or with our spouse. We certainly do not like doing our taxes or other things that make us tense. Mental strength develops when you face that uncertainty directly. Each time you move forward with a new difficult situation, you become more confident. Courage grows not from eliminating fear, but from acting on it.

One of my favorite words in the entire world is neuroplasticity, neuro meaning brain and plasticity meaning plastic. The idea that our brain can change and can learn over the period of our lifetime is such a cool idea. So this week, I want to talk about how we can get mentally stronger through some of our habits. I will start with an example right after this.

One of the best ways to become mentally stronger is to control your focus. That's right, not think about certain things. Many people get overwhelmed because their problems seem so big, but perhaps the problem is that their attention is divided among too many things. Mental strength depends on focus, so you should choose what you think about. The lesson is very practical. When you focus on what you can influence, you are much happier.

This week, we have been talking about why some people advance more quickly than others. We have talked about the fact that some people solve problems without being asked. They respond faster than expected. They improve the systems around them. They make decisions when other people hesitate. I have one more thought to share on this. I'll do it right after this.

People who advance quickly remain calm when major problems appear. I used to run summer camps. I had 89 summer camps around the country, and one day, we lost one of our campers. I knew where he was. He was in the bathroom. He told me that, but he did not come out of the bathroom because he had a little accident and was embarrassed. His mother freaked out. We had called the police, the campus police, and everyone went looking for him. No one left, waiting to see what happened. Of course, we found him in the bathroom, but I remained calm.

Some people get promoted more frequently than perhaps they seem like they deserve. Why do some people advance faster than others? This week, we are talking about that, and I hope you can take some of these lessons, some of these ideas, and apply them to your career and get a promotion sooner. I'll give you one way to do that right after this.

Some people complete their work as assigned, and that satisfies them. Other people, though, look to see if they can improve the system. They simplify processes, they remove unnecessary steps, and they leave the system stronger than when they found it. This behavior compounds value, and improving systems benefits all who follow. Leaders recognize this behavior. People who increase efficiency beyond their individual contribution are noticed. The lesson is very clear: advancement favors those who improve the conditions around them.

Have you ever heard of the Peter Principle, the idea that some people get promoted very quickly, and everyone else shakes their head and wonders why? This week, we want to talk about that, why some people succeed more and get noticed more than everyone else. They advance faster than the rest of us. I'll share why right after this.

In the first company that I started in my mid 20s, I had a business partner, and we were equal owners and both had the same amount of responsibility. We met with a very important venture capitalist, and he asked, "So who is the CEO of this business?" And I immediately said, "I am." Those words had never been spoken, and my friend was quite taken aback, but no one ever challenged it, and I got away with it. People who make decisions quickly when others hesitate get promoted and win more. Be fast. Make your decisions quickly.

This week, we are talking about why some people advance so quickly and maybe without merit. We've all seen it and all wondered, what did that guy do to deserve that promotion? Nothing that I see. What a chump he really is. This week, we want to talk about that and figure out how you respond and how you put yourself on the track to get promoted quicker than everyone else.

In my very first job, when I was 22 and 23, I got a letter asking for information from someone very important in town. Normally, it would take two to three weeks to turn around a letter like that, but I knew who he was. He had no idea who I was, so I did it in one day and sent it to him very, very quickly. He was shocked and responded very noticeably. He told my boss about it, and I learned a lesson: people who respond faster than expected get promoted very quickly.

Have you ever noticed that some people advance and get promotions quicker, more frequently than you think they should? I've seen that a lot of times, and it seems like the people who do advance don't deserve it. We've all seen that. This week, I want to talk about that, why some people advance faster than others, and how we should respond. I'll be right back to give you an example.

Many of us do what we are told. We complete our assignments, we meet expectations, and we wait for more direction from above. That approach is very reasonable, but some people behave very differently. They notice the friction, the confusion, the inefficiency, and they move toward it, as opposed to away from it. They actually seek to solve the problem before it is noticed by anyone else, without being asked. People who solve problems without being asked get noticed and promoted very quickly.