Defending a good state of mind is part of the job

Over the course of human history it has been said countless times that the main obstacles to achieving goals, is your own state of mind. There will be things you can control and things you can’t. Being calm about the things beyond your control and clear about the things within your control - and not confusing the two - is pretty important.  

Call it what you will: zen, flow, mojo, etc. - there is a sort of tranquility associated with this state of mind and it helps you do your best work. You do your best work because you are not being influenced or ruled by negative emotions such as anxiety, frustration, anger, fear, envy etc. Maintaining this state ultimately means that whether things go your way or not,  you remain rational -  you don’t waste time dwelling on the past and don’t waste energy worrying about things that have not happened yet. Work is more fun, rewarding and you don’t burn your life-force just trying to get through the day.

 For most of us though, the universe conspires to mess with our tranquility daily. People close to you apply emotional pressure, and at times seem hellbent to transfer their anxiety to you, your feeds are full of bad news that triggers you and knocks you off your game, unfair and unexpected setbacks happen even when you did everything right etc.  Most folks have come to accept these as a natural part of their day. I don't think we should.

Losing your mental balance and succumbing to negative emotions never works out well. At the very least you waste a ton of time and energy. Worse, you can become distracted or fixated and take the whole company with you. Achieving the right state of mind and defending it from attack, therefore, should be part of your job. What you let into your brain, what issues you engage and the attitude you apply to unexpected situations are tools you can use to defend your good state of mind. Of course we are not talking about abstaining from everything that is difficult and anesthetizing ourselves to reality, quite the opposite actually. We are talking about getting things done and doing them right and enjoying the upside (even when stuff goes wrong). It takes practice I think, but no more or less than it does to (say) eat right and stay healthy.

 Trapper defending himself against wolf attack, Oil on Canvas

Bernard Stafford Good, 1925–1925