Not sure if MPower Co’s online course Tenacity for Tough Times is right for you? This details who could benefit from the positive-psychology-based course!
A phrase I’ve heard Thia, author and instructor of Tenacity for Tough Times, say 1 million times is, “Prepare for the worst; Hope for the best.” (Hope is one of her favorite words, after all!) We must have hope that no matter what life throws our way we can come out the other side OK.
However, having the proper tools to weather the storm is essential. We cannot predict the future, but we can plan and be prepared to do and be our best self when life happens. It is a matter of when, not if.
The information in Tenacity for Tough Times can change your life today during this pandemic and it can also help you no matter what your future brings.
What is Tenacity for Tough Times?
Tenacity for Tough Times was created by MPower Co’s Director of Education Dr. Thia Crawford. It is a course about resiliency, tenacity, and finding meaning and optimism even when it is tough to do so. It is based on what she has learned from her studies in the field of positive psychology. It’s an eight-unit course – each focused on a different area in positive psychology.
Dr. Thia summarizes the most important information from the field of positive psychology and gives practical ways to implement the information into everyday life. It’s about acknowledging the best parts of life and changing our mindset to be the most positive we can possibly be. Being positive can increase your wellbeing immensely during the normal times but even more so during tough times.
It’s easy to surmise that Tenacity for Tough Times is perfect for anyone while we are enduring this pandemic. I see examples of people every day that I know could benefit from the information in this course. Some are caused by the pandemic and others are things we faced pre-pandemic and will face post-pandemic. So, here are six examples of people that I know would benefit from taking Tenacity for Tough Times.
See if you fit into one of the examples!
Example 1: Working parents with kids sheltered in place
The other day, I was browsing my LinkedIn feed. I know it is not the first social media site that comes to mind, but that’s where I was. I saw a connection of mine post an article about parent burnout.
She added to the link that she needed that article that day because she felt like she was at her breaking point. She posted that her home was constantly in disarray and that the pandemic for her is not about checking home projects off her list, getting extra time to exercise, and enjoying wine and Netflix each night.
I’m just guessing – if her house is anything like ours – there is more laundry, more dishes, less time as an entire family unit than there ever was. They’re juggling conference calls, getting multiple meals and snacks (don’t forget the snacks!) on the table. They have kids who are acting out because they need direction and structure in a time where that doesn’t exist in the world. I can imagine her life is constantly on.
I wanted to scream (or just dm her) “Focus on the power of threes!” This is something that Thia teaches in Unit 6 in Tenacity for Tough Times.
If you are feeling overwhelm trying to be all of the things for all of the people – your spouse, your kids, your parents, your coworkers, your boss – then Tenacity for Tough Times is for you.
Unit 6 and learning the power of threes can make a huge difference in your life today.
Example 2: Someone who faces aging in their lifetime
Ok, you got me. Yes, that header is a trick – we all age in our lifetime. My four-year-old daughter is aged compared to my four-month-old. My parents are aged compared to my husband and me.
We all age differently, but we are all aging. Some of us accept the wrinkles and grey hair. Some of us don’t. Some of us think we will be in our prime when we retire, and some of us think when we retire, we are just waiting to die.
We also witness and support people going through the aging process. It’s tough being the one going through the aging process, but it’s also tough being the one seeing a loved one go through the thick of it. Seeing someone unable to participate in a favorite shared hobby, not being able to attend certain functions together, it takes a toll.
So, for all of us Unit 5 is critical. Learning how to be optimistic and finding meaning, even when faced with something like death can positively impact our abilities for ourselves and also for helping others through the tough, complex time of aging.
Example 3: Someone who is still trying to fix their weaknesses
My least favorite interview question of alllll time is anything having to do with detailing a personal weakness. Why? Because the trick to the question is how you make your weaknesses a positive for your employer.
We all focus so much on our weaknesses, and there is a societal obsession with identifying weaknesses and fixing them.
Thia’s stance on weakness is truly life changing – you don’t have any. Yes, you read that right. You have no weaknesses. There are just some things that come easier to you than others. These things that come easiest to you are your signature strengths.
Wouldn’t you love to know what your signature strengths are? In Unit 1 of Tenacity for Tough Times you will learn just that. You will learn what they are, so you are able to use them as much as possible. By not spending time “fixing” we spend our efforts in aligning our life with our strengths. Just the thought alone is empowering but being able to implement the thought: life-changing.
Example 4: Someone who needs to forgive
There are things in this world that are bigger than people, and sometimes those things turn even the most well-intentioned person into someone they don’t recognize or aren’t proud of.
When I say things, I think of greed, pride, lust, gluttony. These are all things we do on impulse.
My four-year-old throws a tantrum because she can’t express herself. As adults, some turn to things.
We have a neighbor whose mother is an alcoholic. He loves her dearly, but they have chosen to not be around her for several reasons because of her alcohol dependency. It’s a source of strain for him personally and for the whole family. At some point, our neighbor is going to need to figure out how to forgive his mother so he can be OK. He cannot change or force his mother to choose different things to solve whatever issue(s) started the dependency.
A past coworker and I had a thing. When one of us was feeling stressed because we wanted to fix something that we couldn’t, when work felt heavy, we would take our hands and motion as if we were lifting the weight of off of the other person’s shoulders. It was something she started.
You know what? It worked. Lifting the weight and knowing you cannot fix others or situations out of your control is life changing. We did it for each other to help us keep perspective.
Learning how to forgive is literally something that can take the weight off someone’s shoulders. It creates room to focus on other more positive relationships and activities. For those that are holding onto anger, who have strained relationships, I know that Unit 7 in Tenacity for Tough Times will be life changing for them.
Example 5: Someone in adulting limbo
That isn’t a real term, but here is what I mean by it: There are periods in life where things just don’t seem to be all they were cracked up to be. Examples can include facing the decision of switching employers or going back to school to start a new career path.
Perhaps it is a decision to make a big physical move to another state or support family in a way we weren’t prepared for.
Perhaps it’s making the choice to stay or walk away from a friendship.
There are circumstances in life where we must find our way and there isn’t a textbook telling us what the right thing to do is. I call this adulting limbo. Adulting limbo is when you need extra support from others or extra tools in the toolbox to maneuver life. They are potentially the pivotal moments.
I was in adulting limbo after college. I had a job where I loved the people and the work, but I made literally no money. I was told growing up, if I went to college and got a degree, I’d get a good job. With that good job would come a decent amount of money. I graduated college in 2009 in the middle of a financial crisis. I somehow landed a job that work-wise was fantastic.
But I was eating way too much boxed macaroni and cheese, living in not the nicest apartment, and couldn’t afford a real vacation. I was in adulting limbo. I had a car, apartment, and a job, but I was still relying on my parents. I needed to go to their house for laundry (I couldn’t afford a washer and dryer for the hookups in my apartment), and they still paid for my cell phone bill. I was at a fork where I knew there had to be something more. I wasn’t happy.
I had gotten to where I had chased, but that place fell short. I then felt like I needed to keep searching for something more to make me happy.
Unit 2 is life changing because it is all about changing your mindset from pursuing happiness to finding happiness now. Even when we need to make big life decisions and maneuver through the thick of it, each day there is an opportunity to be happy, and Unit 2 of Tenacity for Tough Times will help you do just that.
Example 6: Someone who thinks life is good today but wants it to be great
People may shy away from this course because it is a psychology course. Positive psychology is a unique form of psychology. It starts from the basis of saying most people are already doing fine (not at a deficit), so let’s just amp things up a notch or two. Tenacity for Tough Times is all about self-growth.
In the course, Thia talks about how self-talk matters. She also teaches what the research says with respect to how people talk to themselves. Did you know that just as much as what you say, but how you say it matters? By simply changing a few things you say to yourself, like changing the phrase life is good to life is great, you can amp up your wellbeing.
Stop walking the middle-road in life, go all in on having the best life possible. That is ultimately what Tenacity for Tough Times is all about. Taking a pretty good life and turning it into a great life.
Tenacity for Tough Times is for you
So, if you don’t get the picture through these six examples, let me spell it out for you: Tenacity for Tough Times is for you! There is not a single person that can’t benefit from the detail in the course.
Positive Psychology has been so life-changing for Thia that she created this course because she felt she couldn’t keep the information to herself. The course summarizes what you need to know and gives you clear direction on how to implement positive psychology into your life.
The course is laid out so that you only spend about an hour or so each week for eight weeks learning. The course cost is $99. That’s only eight hours of your life and $99 to make a positive impact that can help you today and when faced with any tough time you may face on your path.
Ready to be your most tenacious self?
Tenacity for Tough Times starts the first Tuesday of June, July, and August of 2020, and then won’t be back until January 2021. So, don’t miss out. If you are ready to become your most tenacious self, visit our registration page for Tenacity here.
If you aren’t quite sure, and would like a little more information on how it works, visit the Tenacity page on our website. Thia hopes to see you in our next class!
Be well!
