Building a Sustainable Writing Career: Increase Your Hardiness

In my last article I discussed the value of hardiness. Hardiness is the ability to handle problems in constructive ways. It is the key to success as a writer. Here are a few ways in which you can increase your hardiness.

Eliminate (At Least Reduce) Poor Coping Habits

People indulge in bad habits when they are stressed. They smoke. They drink alcohol. They eat too much or too little. They take drugs. None of these coping mechanisms are healthy. When you find yourself indulging in these bad habits, stop. Focus on the positive actions you could be taking to fix the problem.

Take Care of Your Health

Ignoring your health, even when you have a major problem to deal with, is never a good idea. Your body is part of your toolset for dealing with problems. Exercise, get the proper amount of sleep, eat healthy food, take the time to relax and release stress in healthy ways like exercise, meditation or an enjoyable hobby.

Focus on Solutions Rather then Emotions

It is important to acknowledge how you feel about a situation, but dwelling on your emotions does not solve problems. Avoid negative self-talk. You need to find positive, logical steps that you can take to solve whatever problems you are facing. While you shouldn’t just take the first action that comes to mind, don’t dwell on your problems without taking some sort of action. The sooner you start taking steps to repair the situation, the better you will feel.

Use the Resources You Have

We seldom have every resource we would like to have. While it would be nice to have an unlimited amount of time, people, money, information, and equipment, most people have to make due with something less than the ideal. In many cases though, people fail to use the resources they do have, or they don’t use them wisely. When you are faced with a major problem, take stock of your resources and think about ways you can creatively use what you have. Sometimes it is as simple as asking the right person for a favor.

Communicate Assertively

Don’t avoid problems or people. A hardy person confronts the issues they have as directly and firmly as possible. You don’t have to be a jerk, but don’t turn yourself into a victim either. Say what is on your mind. Say it constructively, but get it off your chest. In many cases, all that is needed is an honest conversation. Half of the problems people have with each other are due to poor communication and misperception.

Building a Sustainable Writing Career: Hardiness

What is Hardiness?

Hardiness is the ability to deal with stress in a healthy way rather than an unhealthy way. It is the ability to maintain a positive outlook and respond constructively when problems arise. There are always problems to be dealt with in life. How we respond to those problems is what determines both our short term and out long term success. When a hardy person encounters a problem, they tend to see the problem as a challenge rather than a disaster. They believe in their own ability to correct the problem or at least respond appropriately to the change.

Hardiness is one of the keys to a sustainable writing career. The ability to adapt positively to change can mean the difference between success and failure. There will always be problems that you have to deal with as a professional writer – economic problems, work challenges and personal issues. Over the course of a long writing career, you will have both daily frustrations and major career changing events. If you are hardy, you will be able to overcome and adapt to these problems. Hardy people usually respond to problems with what are known as the three Cs: Challenge, Commitment, and Control.

Challenge

Hardy people not only accept that life is filled with change, they look forward to change. They believe that change will educate and stimulate them. They look at change as opportunity. Because of this, they thrive in adverse or difficult situations. Hardy people will often take on difficult challenges precisely because they are difficult.

Commitment

Hardy people are rarely bored. They like the things they do and they have the determination to see whatever task they are doing through to the end. When new obstacles present themselves, they tend to increase their commitment to success rather than give in to negativity and defeatism. Whatever they are doing, they are committed to seeing it through to the end.

Control

Hardy people believe in their own ability to influence the events around them. When problems occur, they believe that they can either fix the problem or at least adapt to the problem. They have a strong sense of initiative, and look for ways to turn potentially negative situations into positive ones.

Don’t Be Intimidated

Don’t feel bad if the three Cs haven’t come naturally to you so far in life. While the three Cs may be automatic for some people, for most of us this is something we need to learn, and keep learning. I’ll be honest. I haven’t felt particularly hardy lately, which is one of the reasons I am writing about this. I wanted to remind myself of what the best ways to deal with problems are. Next time, we will look at some of the strategies for increasing your hardiness.