Mental Strength: The Ultimate Productivity Power in Our Era
Credits: This text is from a Xiaohongshu video from Judi titled "Mental strength is the greatest productivity of this era" | 心力，才是这个时代最大的生产力 https://www.xiaohongshu.com/discovery/item/686e470a0000000012033bb4?xsec_token=ABNaSofY02bNsBDG_r2oTi_D9QuNZQRSm_fIickFlBj2Q%3D
Mental strength is the greatest productive force of our time. I've had deep conversations with many business leaders about what specific abilities enabled them to achieve such remarkable success. There's one consensus: they all possess powerful mental strength. This term might sound somewhat abstract, but what exactly is "mental strength"? Imagine when you're persisting with something correct but difficult, beyond physical fatigue, can your will remain steadfast? If you frequently waver and give up, that's a sign of insufficient mental strength. Mental strength is the fundamental self-driven motivation within each of us, and it requires cultivation and nourishment to grow stronger. Today, I'll share three effective methods to enhance your mental strength.
Mental strength is often depleted by excessive pressure and overthinking. How can we break free from this internal friction? We can learn from top athletes in other fields. Deng Yaping has one technique called "thought interruption." Simply put, it's about practicing the ability to distract yourself. When you realize you're starting to spiral into overthinking, find ways to shift your brain's attention. She designed a personal interruption gesture: tapping the table three times. We could do something similar, lightly patting our shoulder or saying a phrase to ourselves, and perform this action whenever you feel anxious. After deliberate practice, your brain will receive the signal to stop worrying, switch channels, and help you regain clarity and focus.
The foundation of strong mental strength is a healthy body, but often we rely on feelings to judge our physical health. Beyond obvious illnesses like fevers and colds, chronic conditions are frequently the root cause affecting our overall state. In this AI era, we can precisely understand our bodies through data from smart wearable devices. Recently, I upgraded to a smartwatch with comprehensive health features, the Huawei Watch 4. I actually consulted AI before deciding to purchase it. Shopping paths have really changed these days. After completing an intense business trip to Europe, honestly, I was quite exhausted. I used it for a mini health check-up, and within one minute, it generated a comprehensive report. Which indicators were high, what needed attention; it was all crystal clear, like having a personal health manager with me at all times. Moreover, the longer I wear it, the better it understands my physical condition, even generating regular health summaries for long-term observation. Tools truly change our habits. Now every morning when I wake up, I habitually check my watch and have Xiaoji (the AI assistant) analyze my sleep report from last night.
"Xiaoji, Xiaoji, how did I sleep last night?"
It provides multiple data indicators, including sleep apnea detection. With this data support, we can understand our sleep condition at a deeper level. When my state is good, I seize the momentum to work efficiently and with focus; when my state is poor, I appropriately "lie flat" and rest properly without guilt. This is a new form of cooperation I've established with my body. After experimenting with this approach recently, my improvement has been visibly noticeable. When we can reduce mental energy depletion and regulate our state with data, the next step is to try strengthening our mental strength.
Have you noticed that doing the same thing with a different identity completely changes your mindset? Many business leaders have shared with me that they establish a more powerful identity role for themselves at critical moments, activating inner drive through this identity. For example, during entrepreneurial lows, they might hint to themselves that they're "adversity breakers." Nike founder Phil Knight, during the early stages of his business when the company continued losing money, repeatedly reminded himself: "I'm not selling shoes; I'm challenging the entire business logic." When you redefine yourself with a different role, your mental strength awakens accordingly. How can you do this specifically? You can try this three-step method. First, imagine an admirable role model, say Elon Musk. Second, list this person's core traits, such as first principles thinking, high standards combined with high execution ability. Third, conduct a role-playing exercise. When facing a difficult problem, I ask myself: "If Elon Musk encountered this, how would he think about it? How would he allocate resources?" By embodying someone more powerful and using their thinking patterns to handle situations, your mental strength will elevate accordingly.
In this era of excessive pressure, mental strength is the key that keeps us in the game long-term. I hope we can all transition from being driven by it to having the ability to control it, ultimately letting it guide us through this period filled with uncertainty.
Original Video Transcript
心力，才是这个时代最大的生产力。我和很多商业大佬深度聊过这个话题啊，到底是什么样的能力让他们拿到如此成就？有一个共识啊，拥有强大的心力。这个词才听起来有点点玄乎，心力是个什么力呢？你试想，当你在坚持一件正确但困难的事情，除了感到身体的疲惫，意志能持续坚定吗？如果你总是容易摇摆和放弃啊，那就是心力不足的表现了。心力是我们每个人底层的自驱动力，而它也需要调理滋养才能愈发强大。今天就分享三个有效提升心力的好方法。
心力的消耗往往来自于压力过大，思虑过重。要怎么摆脱这种内耗呢？我们不妨向顶级运动员跨界学习。邓亚萍就一招，叫思维阻断。简单来说呢，就是练习自己走神的能力。当你意识到自己开始内耗，就要想办法让大脑转移注意力。她为自己设计了一个专属的阻断小动作，按三下球桌。我们也可以是轻拍肩膀或者对自己说一句话，然后在你每次感到焦虑的时候呢，就做一遍这个动作。多次刻意练习之后，大脑就会接收到信号，停止焦虑，切换新频道，让你重新找回清醒和专注。
心力好的前提是拥有健康的身体，但其实很多时候，我们都是用感觉来判断身体的健康度。除了像发烧感冒这样有显性症状的病痛，其实很多时候，慢性病才是影响我们状态的根源。既然在AI时代嘛，我们完全可以通过智能穿戴设备的数据，精准地看见自己的身体。最近啊，我刚换了块健康功能比较全的智能手表，华为Watch 4。说起来啊，还是问了AI后才决定购买的。现如今的购物路径是真不一样了。刚结束高强度的欧洲出差嘛，说实话真的挺累的。我就用它啊进行了一次微体检，一分钟啊就出了一份很全面的微体检报告。哪些指数偏高，哪些需要重视，都一清二楚的，就像是随身带了一个专属的健康管家。而且随着佩戴的时间越久啊，它就越懂我的身体状态，还能够定期生成健康摘要，便于长期观测。工具真的会改变人的生活习惯。像我现在每天早上起床，就会习惯性地打开手表，让小艺帮我分析昨晚的睡眠报告。
“小艺小艺，我昨晚睡得怎么样？”
它就会给出多项数据指标，还有睡眠呼吸暂停检测。有了这些数据支撑啊，我们就能够更深层次地了解自己的睡眠状况。状态好的时候呢，就趁热追击，高效专注地去工作；状态不好的时候啊，就适当躺平，心安理得地好好休息。这是我和自己身体达成了一种新型合作。最近一段时间实验下来，状态真的肉眼可见地在变好。当我们能够有能力降低心力耗损，用数据调节状态，下一步啊，就可以尝试着强化心力了。
你有没有发现，同一件事换个身份来做，心态就完全不同。很多商业大佬都跟我分享过，他们会在关键时刻给自己设立一个更强大的身份角色，借助身份激活内在的动力。比如说啊，在创业低谷期，暗示自己是“逆境突围者”。耐克创始人Phil Knight在创业初期，面对公司持续亏损时，就反复地提醒自己：“我不是在卖鞋哦，而是在挑战整个商业逻辑。”当你换一个角色去定义自己，心力也会随之被唤醒。具体怎么做呢？你可以试试这个三步法。第一步啊，想象一个让你钦佩的角色，比如说马斯克。第二步呢，列出这个角色的核心特质，比如说像是第一性原理啦，高标准加高执行力啦。第三步，做一次角色代入训练。当面对难题的时候，我就会问自己：“如果是马斯克遇到这件事，他会怎么思考？他会怎么调配资源呢？”代入比你更强大的人，用他的思维方式去做事，心力就会随之提升。
在这个压力过大的时代，心力才是支撑我们长期留在牌桌上的关键。希望我们都能够从被它驱动，到有能力掌控它，最终让它带我们穿越这个充满不确定性的周期。
Crepi il lupo! 🐺