Confront - Sacrifice - Persist

"Testing the capacity for survival doesn't necessarily require being placed in harsh surroundings. All of us, whether living at an extreme or protected by an advanced society, are surrounded by emotional and mental, if not physical, obstacles. We spend most of our lives on the near side of these barriers, even as we long to surmount them. We take the easy way out, arguing, often with much validity, that to do so is safer or more practical. If, however, we gather the will to cross over the obstacle, to confront the emotion or solve the problem, we gain strength from it. Telling the truth, making the sacrifice, doing the job though there won't be any recognition for it - these are mental exercises that strengthen will as much as physical exercise strengthens muscle. Such efforts actually form nerve connections in the brain that make it easier to overcome an obstacle the next time. Moreover, if we persist in the face of adversity, we often get a 'second wind', much as an endurance runner when he refuses to quit. The unexpected energy can carry us much farther than we ever thought possible and allow us to triumph over seemingly unsurmountable odds."

Kamler, Kenneth, 2004, Surviving the Extremes, St Martins Press, New York , p 279