Mental Toughness is about thinking thoughts that serve your best interests and eliminating thoughts that don’t. Compartmentalization is the ability to isolate your thinking and direct your mental energy toward one problem at a time. I love America, and I’ve always been a great fan of our political system, but as the world gets more complex and problems become more sophisticated, we need to upgrade our thinking and adjust how we approach foreign and domestic issues. American politicians have been involved in sex scandals since this country’s inception, and it’s never going away. The list is endless, but some of the most recent violators to be burned at the political/sexual stake are President Bill Clinton, Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, Presidential hopeful and former Senator John Edwards, New York Governor Elliot Spitzer, and the most recent, South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford. If I started back with George Washington this post would be 20 pages long! (Don’t forget President John F. Kennedy) My point: It’s time to grow up, America. Politicians are elected to govern, make laws, create and enforce public policy and lead the country. I’m not condoning their private behavior nor do care what they do off the clock. Governor Mark Sanford has to anwer to his wife and family, and I have a feeling he’ll have his hands full doing that. Meanwhile, we’re in the middle of TWO WARS and the WORST economy since the great depression. If you want to hold politicians to a higher standard, lets focus the pressure on solving the challenges we’re facing as a nation, and let’s leave the moral issues to the families. Listen to this post and see if you agree. I’ll look forward to your comments. Steve Siebold ( 5:30)
Author and Professional Speaker since 1997. Past Chairman of the National Speakers Association's Million Dollar Speakers Group. Author of 11 books with 1.4 million copies in print.
4 thoughts on “Note to Washington: Get Mentally Tough and Compartmentalize Sex Scandals”
Steve,
I just saw you on the Today show and Immediately loved your way of thinking. As soon as I heard your message of taking personal responsibility my mind immediately went to politics. The political arena has fallen prey to the thinking of blaming each other (left blames right, right blames left, blame adulterous congress men, blame, blame, blame) for America’s problems. It is so refreshing to hear the honest approach that “what we’re doing in Washington is not working.” And rather than hear another blame follow that sentence you suggest just focusing on the issue and how to beat it. Politics is yet another perfect example of distractions surfacing just enough to keep any real progress from happening. We need some mental toughness and personal responsibility written into our legislation these days rather than socialist easy fix solutions that just set us farther back.
Hi Steve,
I love your post! Now I fully understand what your talking about compartmentalization. I know that’s something I really need to work on and that’s what I’m struggling with. It’s going to be allot easier for me right now!
Thanks Will
“Compartmentalization is the ability to isolate your thinking and direct your mental energy toward one problem at a time.” — Steve
It’s not multi tasking it’s multi single minded focus one at a time action taking with the issolated thinking required to get it accomplished. Everything is blocked out EXCEPT that there is a place for being so attuned to the moment to the action that any external stimulation can be used and directed into the action. That’s improv. I’m sure you recognize it when you speak, Steve.
Sex scandals? It all runs together. One event one statement one digression from what’s anticipated turns into a circus. Public and private on display and everyone’s got a perspective, an agenda, something to twist it with into validation his and her’s reality.
Felini saw it all and cast it into cinema like no other film director has ever done. Watch ” 8 1/2″ or “Satyricon” not to understand symbolism or meaning but to witness a strange brew of reality that is today’s press conference, political commentary after a sex scandal, party convention, rock concert.
Welcome to our world.
The man or woman who can single mindedly focus in the midst of all this and compartmentalize toward achieving worthy goals is more needed more successful more wanted in leadership roles than ever.
Mike
Hi Steve,
Wow, you nailed it again! (Pun intended, haha!) If we all focused more on what’s going on in our own back yards, making sure we are doing a good job with our own marriages, our kids, our neighbors, our communities, rather than whats going on in a politicians bedroom think of the impact it would make! Let’s all take a look at our own shortcomings, fix what we can, keep improving our immediate circle of influence and stop participating in the voyeurism. It’s just gross.
Steve,
I just saw you on the Today show and Immediately loved your way of thinking. As soon as I heard your message of taking personal responsibility my mind immediately went to politics. The political arena has fallen prey to the thinking of blaming each other (left blames right, right blames left, blame adulterous congress men, blame, blame, blame) for America’s problems. It is so refreshing to hear the honest approach that “what we’re doing in Washington is not working.” And rather than hear another blame follow that sentence you suggest just focusing on the issue and how to beat it. Politics is yet another perfect example of distractions surfacing just enough to keep any real progress from happening. We need some mental toughness and personal responsibility written into our legislation these days rather than socialist easy fix solutions that just set us farther back.
Hi Steve,
I love your post! Now I fully understand what your talking about compartmentalization. I know that’s something I really need to work on and that’s what I’m struggling with. It’s going to be allot easier for me right now!
Thanks Will
“Compartmentalization is the ability to isolate your thinking and direct your mental energy toward one problem at a time.” — Steve
It’s not multi tasking it’s multi single minded focus one at a time action taking with the issolated thinking required to get it accomplished. Everything is blocked out EXCEPT that there is a place for being so attuned to the moment to the action that any external stimulation can be used and directed into the action. That’s improv. I’m sure you recognize it when you speak, Steve.
Sex scandals? It all runs together. One event one statement one digression from what’s anticipated turns into a circus. Public and private on display and everyone’s got a perspective, an agenda, something to twist it with into validation his and her’s reality.
Felini saw it all and cast it into cinema like no other film director has ever done. Watch ” 8 1/2″ or “Satyricon” not to understand symbolism or meaning but to witness a strange brew of reality that is today’s press conference, political commentary after a sex scandal, party convention, rock concert.
Welcome to our world.
The man or woman who can single mindedly focus in the midst of all this and compartmentalize toward achieving worthy goals is more needed more successful more wanted in leadership roles than ever.
Mike
Hi Steve,
Wow, you nailed it again! (Pun intended, haha!) If we all focused more on what’s going on in our own back yards, making sure we are doing a good job with our own marriages, our kids, our neighbors, our communities, rather than whats going on in a politicians bedroom think of the impact it would make! Let’s all take a look at our own shortcomings, fix what we can, keep improving our immediate circle of influence and stop participating in the voyeurism. It’s just gross.