Train for the Storms Before They Arrive
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The storms in your life aren’t coming to break you — they’re coming to show you who you really are. And the more you prepare for those storms in advance, the less they’ll be able to shake you when they arrive.
The other night, a massive storm ripped through Dallas. Winds howled, fences collapsed, and my dog, Bear, completely lost it. He didn’t know what was happening — all he knew was something was wrong, and instinct told him to protect me at all costs. I appreciated that. But it also made me think — how do we respond when life’s storms hit us?
The Storms Reveal Your True Self
Anyone can claim they have confidence, strength, and integrity when life is easy. But when the storm hits — that’s when you find out what you’re really made of.
It’s like someone saying they want to run a marathon. It’s easy to commit when you’re sitting on the couch. It’s much harder when you’re facing the heat, the rain, the early mornings, and the self-doubt.
The question isn’t how do you think you handle adversity? — it’s how do you actually respond when the pressure hits?Are you the person others want around when things fall apart, or do you add to the chaos?
Storm-Proofing Your Mindset
Great leaders, elite performers, and people who achieve at the highest levels all have one thing in common — they’ve trained for the storm before it arrived.
You can do the same. You don’t have to wait for adversity to hit you to learn how to handle it. Kobe Bryant famously said he made practice as difficult as possible so the games would feel easy. That same mindset applies to your career, your goals, and your life.
Find ways to stretch yourself into uncomfortable situations now, while you have the support and space to fail safely. Step into new environments that force you to develop new skills, so when the storm comes — and it will come — you already know how to weather it.
Dive Into the Deep End
I’m applying this in my own life right now. As a speaker, I’m comfortable on stage, but I wanted to see how I’d handle a crowd with completely different expectations — so I’m stepping into stand-up comedy.
Not because I want to be a comedian, but because I want to train my confidence muscle under new pressure. Comedy crowds expect to laugh — they’re less forgiving than keynote audiences. But if I can handle that, I’ll be even stronger on every stage I step on.
You can apply this same principle. What’s the deep end for you? What situation can you voluntarily put yourself into that forces growth? Whether it’s public speaking, taking on a leadership role, or pushing your physical limits, every time you stretch yourself, you build resilience.
Your Resilience Muscle is Waiting
We all have a resilience muscle, but most people never activate it. They wait for life to happen to them, instead of preparing themselves to handle it.
The more you push yourself into controlled adversity, the more you realize storms aren’t something to fear — they’re opportunities to prove to yourself just how strong you really are. And once you trust that strength, you’ll take bigger risks, chase bigger goals, and unlock levels of confidence you didn’t know existed.
The storms will come. But if you’ve already trained for them, you’ll be the calm in the chaos — and the one everyone else looks to for strength.