Resilience summary

If your dream is to be a Navy SEAL or a CIA agent, then it’s fair to say you have a life-threatening dream. If you’re chasing these kinds of goals, being prepared to die to make your dream come true is par for the course.

But you need this passionate commitment even if your dream isn’t a real threat to your survival.

You know that dreadful feeling you get in the pit of your stomach when you receive a message that begins with the words, “We regret to inform you…”

Rejections can be utterly crushing, but it’s important to remember that feelings of despair are completely normal.

If you have a fear of sharks, the last thing you’ll want to do is go deep-sea diving and surround yourself with great whites. But if you’re trying to overcome your fear of sharks – well, diving right in might not be such a bad idea.

The emotion of fear can be overcome through the process of desensitization.

Have you ever given up on a dream, or even a hobby, because you thought you weren’t talented enough?

We’re often our own harshest critic, but that criticism doesn’t always need to be negative. To help your criticism be effective, however, you need to take a step back, distance yourself from the work in question and look at it from a new perspective.

There are many self-help books that demonize creative people’s inner critic, the voice within us that loves to criticize our own work. This voice often gets cast as a destructive force that can prevent us from ever being creative.

But your inner critic doesn’t have to get in the way. In fact, it can be a great friend and ally.

Close your eyes and think about the word “success.” What feelings and images does the word conjure up?

It’s helpful to understand your preconceptions about success, because different people relate to it in different ways. And how you think about it will affect the way you pursue your dreams.

If you’ve ever believed that you’re not smart enough, brave enough or rich enough to pursue your dreams, it’s time to think again.

The only quality necessary to go after that dream is a willingness to work hard.