First Responders

What is your definition of success and how do you measure it?

Measuring Success: Beyond Achievements, Embrace a Life of Value

I like this one. What is your definition of success and how do you measure it? I always say live a life of value not of success because success is fleeting and it's all based off of a perceived limit that somebody else has put on you and so when you look at it from a perspective of success being more value oriented than successful I would say that I define it and I measure it through how much have I contributed outside of myself and how much of what I have succeeded in I guess you could say or that I have thrived in or experienced have I imparted that knowledge on other people because the value of our lives can be seen throughout time and you can see your family's impact that they had on you as well as other people in society have had on individuals and this transcends time so making sure that you understand your value and that you are looking at it from a framework of I want to instill my knowledge in some other people to help them before I am gone.

Success is measured by how much value one can contribute to oneself and others. This can be done through imparting knowledge and experiences on those around us in order to leave a lasting impact that transcends time.

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My definition of success is centered around living a life of value rather than pursuing fleeting success based on others' expectations. To measure success, I focus on how much I have contributed to others beyond myself. It's about sharing the knowledge and experiences I have gained through my own achievements and growth. The value we bring to the world can have a lasting impact throughout time, seen in the influence our families and society have on individuals. By imparting knowledge and helping others before my time is up, I believe I am fulfilling my purpose and defining success in a meaningful way.

How do you define resilience, and why is it important?

Developing Resilience: Unlocking Mental Strength and True Potential

How do you define resilience and why is it important? The definition by me, and I always say that because you need to define it for yourself because that's really how it comes to actually meaning anything. So my definition of resilience is when you stay in something and endure pain or challenge for a purpose. And that purpose inevitably leads you to having a mental strength that is resilient in times of need and also in times of mundanity. Because I think a lot of people with mental health understand that is when it's boring or when it's calm, that's a lot of times when we have the most issues with our mental health. So being resilient is so important because that's you teaching yourself to endure pain for a purpose, to endure pain to find that true potential that you have, to endure pain to really find those goals that are just outside of your reach. I mean, those cold zone goals that you've been to before are not going to sustain you in life as you go forward. You got to reach out and really get into that hot zone goal. So resilience is something that you learn over time and it's something that you have to push yourself to get.

Resilience is an important skill to cultivate in order to be able to endure pain and challenge for a purpose, with the ultimate goal of finding your true potential. Resilience is something that you learn over time and must push yourself to achieve.

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Resilience, as defined by me, is staying committed to something and persevering through pain or challenges with a purpose. It involves developing mental strength that can withstand both times of need and moments of mundanity. Many individuals with mental health issues understand that boredom or calmness can often trigger mental health struggles. This is why resilience is crucial. It teaches us to endure pain for a greater purpose, to tap into our true potential, and to reach for goals that are just beyond our grasp. Simply relying on familiar and comfortable goals will not sustain us in life. We must strive to pursue those challenging, hot zone goals that push us out of our comfort zones. Resilience is not something that happens overnight; it's a skill that we cultivate over time through self-motivation and pushing ourselves forward.

How do you differentiate between owning up to a mistake and dwelling on it too much?

Mastering the Art of Owning Up to Mistakes

This is a great question because it's, can you differentiate between owning up to a mistake and dwelling on it too much? Owning up to a mistake is not dismissing that it happened, it's owning it and saying that I understand what I did, I accept what I did, and then at the same time it's saying, well, I'm going to work to get better and maybe not do that again. Or maybe work to get better at figuring out ways so that won't happen. Dwelling on it is not really figuring out an action plan. You know, owning it is figuring out an action plan to try to get yourself to be better. Whereas dwelling on it is when you continually bring it up, when you continually do it, and you don't have an action plan to make it better or make it not happen again in your lifetime.

Owning up to a mistake is acknowledging it, understanding it, and creating an action plan to make sure it won't happen again. Dwelling on it is continuously bringing it up without an action plan to make it better.

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Differentiating between owning up to a mistake and dwelling on it too much is important. Owning up to a mistake means acknowledging and accepting what you did, without dismissing it. It involves recognizing the mistake, understanding it, and committing to work towards improvement or finding ways to prevent it from happening again. On the other hand, dwelling on a mistake is when you continuously bring it up without taking action or creating an action plan for improvement. The key difference is that owning up involves actively seeking ways to make things better, while dwelling on it implies repetitive fixation without a plan for growth or prevention in the future.

How do you balance feeling content if you're always striving to be better? 

Finding Contentment in Striving for Personal Growth

this question because it's so pertinent to everything that I struggle with because you want to always be striving for something more and especially when dealing with huge mental health issues is that look forward of feeling the tangibility feeling that there's a future is feeling that your self-worth is continuing to move forward like I did races for the longest time didn't understand how big or they were in my mental health struggles that helped me but it was more the journey and I think feeling content is not not like sitting there and not doing anything feeling content means that you know the direction that you're going and you're willing to make sacrifices and willing to push hard to find that so striving to be better is a great thing and it should be something that's there the contentment is being able to be yourself in all those circumstances so

Striving to be better is important, but it's also important to find contentment in yourself and the direction you are going. Contentment means being able to be yourself in all circumstances and making sacrifices to achieve your goals.

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Balancing contentment while constantly striving for improvement is a struggle that resonates with me. It's especially challenging when dealing with significant mental health issues. Looking forward and feeling the tangible progress of personal growth is essential for maintaining a sense of self-worth and hope for the future. Personally, engaging in races played a significant role in my own mental health journey, but it was more about the process than the outcome.

Feeling content doesn't mean sitting idle or being complacent. It means understanding the direction you're heading in life and being willing to make sacrifices and put in the necessary effort to achieve your goals. Striving to be better is commendable and should be a driving force in our lives. Contentment comes from being true to ourselves in all circumstances, while still pursuing growth and improvement.

Can you talk about the interplay between mental strength and resilience?

Discover the Key to Building Mental Strength and Resilience

This is a great one when you talk about the interplay between mental strength and resilience. There's a huge interplay in between there, but also at the same point, both are independent of each other. Resilience really is when you have that ability to push beyond your perceived limits or others perceived limits of you for a reason. Resilience isn't staying in something just because it's painful and you know that it can make you better. It's like that's not really going to be the best thing for resilience and neither it is for mental strength. Mental strength is something that is built over time and it's really developed on your self-awareness of who you are as a person and who you want to be. It's having faith in yourself over the fears that surround you. I think that's the biggest thing when you look at resilience, when you look at mental strength and the interplay in between them is the inevitable faith in yourself is going to be the biggest difference that is going to help you with both mental strength and with resilience.

There is a strong interplay between mental strength and resilience, but they are independent of each other. Mental strength is built over time and is based on self-awareness and faith in oneself, while resilience is the ability to push beyond perceived limits or norms for a reason. The biggest difference between the two is having faith in yourself over fears that surround you.

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The interplay between mental strength and resilience is significant, yet they are also independent of each other. Resilience involves pushing beyond perceived limits for a purpose, rather than simply enduring pain for the sake of it. On the other hand, mental strength is developed over time through self-awareness and aligning with one's desired identity. It entails having faith in oneself despite surrounding fears. The key factor in understanding their interplay is that unwavering self-belief is crucial for both mental strength and resilience.

Can you talk about the role that self-awareness plays in developing mental strength?

Unleashing Mental Strength: The Power of Self-Awareness

So this is actually a pretty huge one. When you're talking about mental strength and self-awareness, because your mental strength can only be as powerful as you are entrusting yourself in certain circumstances or having the courage to push yourself, because self-awareness of perceived limitations, self-awareness of your strengths and weaknesses, because that's the biggest thing that you have when you're dealing with mental strength is that it is the ability to push through things mentally, to push your body past what it actually is capable of doing. And I've done that many of times. And have I failed at times? Yes, I have. But it's the self-awareness to go, what did I fail at? What let me down? Or how did I let myself down to be able to develop that mental strength to be able to push myself and create those potential, create the opportunities that I really deserve in this life.

Mental strength is the ability to push yourself past your perceived limitations and use self-awareness of your strengths and weaknesses to create opportunities.

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Self-awareness plays a crucial role in developing mental strength. It allows you to understand and acknowledge your perceived limitations, as well as your strengths and weaknesses. Mental strength relies on the ability to push through challenges and surpass what you believe your body is capable of achieving. This requires courage and self-awareness to recognize areas where you may have fallen short or let yourself down in the past. By reflecting on these experiences, you can develop the mental strength needed to push yourself further and create the opportunities you deserve in life. It's important to note that while there may be failures along the way, self-awareness serves as a guide for growth and improvement.

Robert Verhelst answers your First Responders questions. See all the advice Robert Verhelst has and get answers to your own First Responders questions.

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Fireman Rob is known as a dynamic storyteller with an inspirational voice, on the courage to lead your life with a resilient mindset. He helps people become greater assets to themselves and others, with the ability to lead with courage, passion and mental strength. 

Fireman Rob delivers powerful impact to audiences through his stories and catalysts that have been Forged In The Fires of his life. From numerous years in the fire service to surviving on Discovery Channel’s show “Ultimate Ninja Challenge” to performing search & recovery after the September 11th attacks. His message resonates with everyone and has proven results. 

From surviving post-traumatic stress disorder to breaking a Guinness World Record to being a dad, he lives his message and delivers the fire to the audience.

ACCOLADES •  2012 Ironman Performance of the Year •  2012 HITS Triathlon Athlete of the Year •  2014 In Business Magazine “25 Most Influential People in Greater Madison” •  2015 Jefferson Award 