“Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.” — Thomas Jefferson
Even the most optimistic of us can get weighed down when unrelenting negativity swirls around us at work and in life. The negativity found in social media, newspaper articles and radio discussions all have an impact on our world view, on our perspectives on life, on how we relate to and perceive others, and it often leads to an increase our levels of anxiety and concerns about both the immediate and long-term future.
Living in a community scheme and near proximity to others who may not be as like-minded as we would prefer, and where our fellow residents do not necessarily share the same world view and priorities as we do, often tests one’s resilience and patience. This is especially apparent when it comes to the adherence by residents to the rules of the community scheme, and simple everyday common decency and consideration for other residents. In the case of the scheme executives, one’s mental toughness is often put to the test in having to deal with complaint by residents that arise regularly in community scheme living, trying to manage the day to day running of a scheme, and especially in juggling the scheme expenses against the income received when the levy arrears of members are growing monthly.
Mental Toughness is an attribute that is sometimes ascribed to a person who shows determination in the face of adversity, and persistent endeavour despite the difficulty of the situation being faced. It ensures that we can mentally survive the criticisms and complaints that may come our way, and not take them personally or allow them to affect our ability to function.
This is an attribute that one will find especially useful when living in a community scheme and especially if one makes oneself available to serve your community scheme as a scheme executive. Equally, when you can show flexibility and adaptability when responding to the issues that arise and that are often found in the community scheme’s we manage, and find the best resolution to a difficult situation, then one has developed the sort of mental toughness required for the job.
There are a couple of coping mechanisms that that we may use to develop mental toughness in ourselves if faced with such issues, especially to ensure that one’s mood and responses are not driven by, nor are dependent on, the conditions where one finds oneself. We can change our mindset such that every day is a good day no matter the circumstance that I am confronted with. Staying positive in the face of adversity and pressing through any difficulty requires incredible mental toughness, so that we remain positive in our outlook despite the circumstances, and we can develop the ability to work with that which you have, and to make a success of what is required of us. This is especially true when it comes to community scheme living where budgets are tight, repairs and maintenance are often not prioritised, and the way money is spent by the scheme executives is often a bone of contention that can cause conflict to spiral out of control.
Through these we will hopefully ensure that we don’t fly off the handle when things are not going our way, that we temper our responses so that we don’t trigger even greater conflict. In the South African context, where we daily experience intolerance and selfish behaviour, having mental toughness can be life changing as it enables us to deal with our emotions in a positive way, to make courageous choices, and to respond with grit and determination in the face of any stressful situations and conflict that comes our way. Stay strong and act courageously!!
At Whitfields we endeavour to listen, care, and deliver, through serving the members of the community schemes we manage. We undertake that we will by our best endeavours and best practise, provide relevant and updated information to the scheme executives on the applicable governing scheme legislation and how such impacts the scheme where they are appointed, and to give them the necessary direction and advice as to how they can best manage their schemes.
We hope we will always be able to meet your expectations as we endeavour to do every day! At times we may fail, but we will always try our best to do better and to improve in the service we provide. We have done so for the past 25 plus years and look forward to doing so into the future!
