Storm-Proof: How to Build Mental Strength When Everything Feels Uncertain

This week I watched Endurance, the new National Geographic documentary on Disney+.

It hit all my sweet spots: psychology, history, survival, brotherhood, mountains.

And it brought me back to a personal hero: Sir Ernest Shackleton.

If you don’t know his story, let me give you the highlights:

In 1915, his ship, Endurance, was crushed by Antarctic sea ice.

For over a year, his crew of 27 men survived, floating on broken floes, eating penguins and sled dogs, and eventually sailing lifeboats across some of the most dangerous seas on earth… 

Not to safety but to Elephant Island, a godforsaken, frozen shard of rock, battered by wind, sealed in ice, and utterly cut off from the world.

Knowing they’d die if they stayed, Shackleton and five men crossed 800 miles of open ocean in a glorified rowboat, navigating only by the sun and stars.

They landed on the wrong side of South Georgia and Shackleton, with two of his crew, hiked 36 hours non-stop across an uncharted mountain range with no map, no gear, and no guarantee they’d make it.

After 487 days trapped in the Antarctic, he reached the whaling station at Stromness.

The very next day, he set out to rescue the men he’d left behind.

He failed three times, each attempt turned back by the ice.

Then, four months later, he finally broke through…

To find every single man still alive.

Not one life lost.

Somehow, they endured.

“Difficulties are just things to overcome, after all.” Ernest Shackleton

But here’s what struck me most.

In almost every account of those long months on the ice, they’re:

Laughing.
Singing.
Making jokes.
Playing the banjo.

Somehow, even with frostbite and seal blubber stew, they found lightness.

They kept spirits high - not because they were delusional - but because they understood the real battle wasn’t just the cold.

It was mental.

And I look at myself…

I complain if the oat milk runs out.

If I miss a swim, or lose Wi-Fi, I start questioning everything.

It’s humbling, isn’t it?

Shackleton’s men didn’t have comfort.
But they had each other.

They had a leader who chose courage over ego.

A man who didn’t wait for the storm to pass - outside or inside - before moving forward.

He was flawed. Doubtful. Often afraid.

But he kept showing up. And that helped his crew do the same.

He taught them - not with words, but by how he lived - that you don’t need calm seas or perfect clarity to take the next step.

You just need to choose what matters… and keep choosing.

So what does this mean for you?

Shackleton didn’t wait for better conditions.
He acted in the storm - tired, uncertain, afraid - but committed.

That’s not superhuman.
That’s mental strength.

And in your world, the storms are different, but no less real.

A conversation goes badly.
A pitch falls flat.
A goal slips through your fingers.

Your nervous system kicks into survival mode:

—> Muscles tense.
—> Breathing shortens.
—> Focus narrows.

And your brain starts scanning for exits:

“Fix it.”
“Avoid it.”
“Hide it.”
“Maybe clean the kitchen again?”

Avoidance feels like control.
But more often, it just keeps you stuck.

How you gain the mental advantage isn’t about feeling fearless.

It’s about noticing the fear, and choosing to move forward with discomfort anyway.

I’ll be honest, I still get hijacked by that voice. The one that says: 

“Just play it safe.”
“Wait until you’re more certain.”
“Don’t send that, it’s not ready.”

It doesn’t show up once.
It shows up daily.

But when I notice it - breathe and bear with it - and take one small step forward anyway…
That’s when something shifts.

You don’t need to feel ready.
You just need to feel it… and move anyway.

This Week’s Reflection:

When the pressure’s on, try asking:

• Am I moving toward something that matters  or just away from what’s hard?

• What part of me wants to run and what’s it trying to protect?

• Can I make space for this discomfort and still take the next step?

And to help you do this, try a quick mental reset:

• Name what you're feeling (yes actually name it out loud or write it)

• Breathe into it.

• Ask: What’s one small action I can take right now that aligns with who I want to be?

Because that’s the work.
That’s the practice.

Not waiting for calm seas.
But building the capacity to steer through the storm.

One moment. One choice. One step at a time.