Title: Mental Toughness; You Have To Have It To Succeed
Copyright Pegine Echevarria, MSW 2005
Date: 2005 Volume 6 Issue 9


You have to be mentally tough to reap the rewards of great achievements. It took me a long time to learn this lesson. When I began my career, I must have seen too many movies about tough bosses. I had a belief system that said in order to be effective I had to be hard nosed and have a tough exterior. My husband still teases me about one of my first interviews with a administrative assistant. I was promoted to the position of Director of Operations and National Sales manager and I was interviewing people for an administrative assistant position. I was scared stiff about my new responsibilities and very excited (maybe a bit cocky, too). I was interviewing someone at my home, my husband was in the other room and I thought I had found the perfect assistant. I was excited and enthusiastic, and then I remembered that I was the boss now – I needed to be tough. I made a very serious face and with all the earnestness I could muster I said, “If you cross me I will destroy you!” In the other room I heard muttering and laughter. After twenty years this is still one of my husband’s favorite stories.

Every time he shares my now famous words to someone I shudder at the thought that I treated someone that way. I must have scared her to death, because she never showed up to work. I was confused, it was my first management position and I wanted to be seen as strong, tough and wanted to be respected. What I didn’t know then and have since learned is that the qualities I wanted others to perceive in me as a leader and manager had to first be perceived, believed and acted on by me. I had to become mentally tough and not worry what others were thinking of me, just focus on what I was thinking of me.

Through my business experiences and while researching leaders on success, productivity and performance improvement, I have come to believe that in order be an effective leader and to be a success in business management and life management, a person who wants to succeed must decide to become mentally tough. What they think and visualize for themselves must make them stronger, more resilient and determined to succeed, no matter what. I am not the only one who is researching the power of mental toughness on success. The University of Western Sydney - Bankstown Campus in Australia is in the middle of significant research on how mental toughness, resiliency, and perseverance and related constructs contribute to success (or failure) in the face of adversity and challenge.

Business is a roller coaster of ups and downs, challenges and successes. How you choose to deal with those experiences determines when (or if) you will get promoted, your sales productivity and whether you will receive more responsibility, praise and monetary rewards. This happens whether you work for someone else or choose to work for yourself. Your level of mental toughness will determine the rewards you receive in business.

So how does one develop mental toughness? There are key elements needed:

1- Acknowledge your past accomplishments, successes and triumphs relating to difficult, challenging and seemingly impossible past experiences
2- Observe how others who are going through difficult or stressful times are dealing with the situation
3- Expand your circle of influence
4- Accept that every action you take is a choice
5- Take charge of your thoughts
6- Maintain your vision and goals

In order to be mentally tough you will need to take steps to be a stronger and more effective manager and leader.

I have several CD’s that are terrific in building your mental toughness. I especially recommend “The Power of Choice”, “Persistence”, and “POP - A Process To Propel Your Success.” By the way, I do listen to my own CD’s because I also need a reminder. You can find them by going to the products page on my web site, the link is below:

www.pegine.com/products.html

Mental toughness is earned. For years I believed that if you keep on keeping on, if you keep your eye on the prize and continually seek ways to achieve your goals, you will be rewarded. I believe that and have always held onto that belief. Ten years ago, when I began Team Pegine, I knew what I wanted and went after my dream. I never anticipated how challenging the bad times would be, never imagined the trials and tribulations that I would encounter as an entrepreneur and business woman. The lessons I had to learn and the situations I had to face made me a better leader, a stronger business person and more effective team member. Looking back, I can see how tough I have become and how strong I am, others have also noticed.

Last month I asked you to send your good wishes regarding the possibility of winning the entrepreneur of the year award. You are one powerful group of people because….I WON!!

On September 22, 2005 I heard:

"The MED Week 2005 Entrepreneur of the Year is Pegine Echevarria founder of Team Pegine, an individual and organizational performance company"

I was thrilled! I still am.


MEDWeek stands for "Minority Enterprise Development Week." The First Coast Business Alliance Inc. presented the award to me, during its 22nd Annual MEDWeek Awards luncheon on Thursday, September 22, 2005. MEDWeek is designated by Proclamation of the President of the United States since 1983, the week recognizes and promotes the achievements of the Nation's minority-owned and controlled business enterprises and their supporters.

Thank you for your good thoughts, they certainly worked.

Write me at Pegine@pegine.com I want to hear from you.

By the way we NEVER, EVER give or sell your name and email address to anyone, EVER.

With you in mind,
Pegine

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In this months e-zine you'll find:

* Pegine's Thought of the Month
* Quote of the Month
* Try-its - Simple Steps for Magnificent Rewards
* Kick Butt Actions - Strategies to Make an Impact
* News from Pegine
* Have You?

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Pegine's Thought of the Month:

“You have to be mentally tough to reap the rewards of great achievements.”
~Pegine Echevarria, MSW

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Quotes of the Month:


“Mental toughness is many things. It is humility because it behooves all of us to remember that simplicity is the sign of greatness and meekness is the sign of true strength. Mental toughness is spartanism with qualities of sacrifice, self-denial, dedication. It is fearlessness, and it is love.”
~Vince Lombardi

“Anyone who has a continuous smile on his face conceals a toughness that is almost frightening.”
~Greta Garbo

“Good work habits help develop an internal toughness and a self-confident attitude that will sustain you through every adversity and temporary discouragement.”
~Paul J. Fleyer

“Toughness is in the soul and spirit, not in muscles.”
~ Alex Karras

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Try-its:

You have overcome challenges and dealt with experiences that you thought you would never, ever be able to deal with. If you are particularly strong and mentally tough you will not even recognize that you overcame difficult situations. In order to build mental toughness you have to remember and acknowledge those moments.

Write three instances where you overcame challenges and dealt with impossible situations.
Read what you wrote.
Applaud yourself for a job well done.
Keep what you wrote and add to them as you remember situations. This book becomes your power book, your “I’m one tough cookie” verification tool.

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You can be a mentor to those individuals interested in increasing productivity, increasing their ability to achieve and increasing their ability to manage and be part of an effective team by forwarding this issue to your staff, co-workers, and business associates.

They will receive a networking skills book called, "Go Fish: For Friends, Business and Opportunities", for FRE* when they sign up for my fr*e Monthly Motivational Times Newsletter at www.pegine.com.

This networking how-to book will teach them to be more successful by making them more confident and better prepared to meet people when they go to meetings, conferences and parties!

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Kick-butt actions:

Maintaining your vision and having goals

You may not have a long term life vision, but you can have a six month or one year vision. The questions to ask yourself are:

-One year from now I will have accomplished ……. (add at least three things)
- When you do accomplish those things what will you have?
- What will you think of yourself?
- How will you talk to yourself?

Get a bunch of magazines and cut out words, pictures, articles and quotes that reflect your vision and what you will have. Put them in an album. Look at the album at least once a week.

Mark Victor Hansen, co-author of Chicken Soup of the Soul Series says you have to have “Bodacious Goals”. Make yourself dream large, seek visions of your life and find pictures and words that reflect that vision, it works!

Twenty years ago I started my album. I cut pictures of the view I would see from my house, What the family room would look like, some of the features of my dream house. When I moved into our new home five years ago my girlfriend shrieked and told me to get my album. She showed me that the house has the same architectural details, the living room was almost identical and so was the view from my patio. So many of my pictures and words have come true, so many that I realized I have to start a new one for the next twenty years of my life!

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News from Pegine:

The same week Team Pegine received the award we received the following quote:

“Pegine Echevarria and her company, Team Pegine, have consistently provided us with programs and consulting that has met our needs and exceeded our expectations.

In preparation for the Super Bowl, we sought a company that could provide us with a customer service program that would address the unique needs of all four area airports, every level of employee, volunteers and the many vendors who would be serving our visitors.

Pegine created a program that was filled with usable, proactive tips so that everyone became aware of how to treat our visitors. The training, which included airport employees, vendors and volunteers, was full of great information, and was also interactive, engaging and insightful.

Team Pegine deserves credit for getting our people excited, motivated and educated so that they were able to surpass everyone’s customer service expectations. Team Pegine was an important part of our tremendous success during Super Bowl which concluded with front page headlines reading "JIA Exceeds Expectations!"

Maribel Hernandez, Chief Operating Officer, Jacksonville Airport Authority

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Orlando

Having a conference or meeting in Orlando??
Pegine is less than two hours away. That means you save on travel expenses...because there are none!

No missed flights, no surprise costs just an incredibly entertaining, informative outstanding presentation.

Contact her office at info@pegine.com

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Have You?

Challenges that can make you mentally tougher:

Tell someone or a committee “No”
Request an upgrade…and be quiet…the worst they can say is no…of course they could say yes!
Create an agenda and then during the meeting stay on course…no matter what
Stop talking if you talk too much, Talk if you don’t talk enough – if you aren’t sure which one you are ask someone, they will tell you
Invite someone you admire to lunch

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Words used to describe Pegine:
"Audacious, bold, brash, brazen, brilliant, clever, comical, daring, dynamic, ebullient, effective, effervescent, enterprising, enthusiastic, exceptional, fresh, humorous, knowledgeable, perceptive, relevant, smart, superb, superior, talented, vivacious, vivid and witty!"

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Referrals for Team Pegine

Team Pegine (Peh-geen) is hired by a wide variety of companies, organizations and associations. All of our business comes from word of mouth referrals from people like you.

Can you refer us to someone within a company, organization or association who would be interested in our services?

Can you hire us for your company, organization or association?

Team Pegine Services Include
• Facilitation (strategic planning, partnering and collaborations)
• Organizational consulting (productivity improvement, management and team development)
• Training (leadership, management, communication skills, meeting management, conflict resolution, sales and recruitment, referral building, networking, employee motivation, employee value, team value, presentation skills, coaching and mentoring skill development, diversity, and soft skills)
• Teambuilding (retreats, ½ day, full day, on site, off site, small and large groups)
• Individual coaching (leadership development and employee success)
• Seminars, keynotes, and rallies (sales, recruitment, motivation, overcoming adversity, management and employee morale)
• Educational products for organizational and individual performance improvement

Would you like to hear how you can bring Team Pegine to your organization?

Contact (904) 280-8806 or info@pegine.com

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