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Emotional maturity can double down as a survival tool in a life-and-death scenario.
Bold claim?
But the miraculous survival feat that Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton and his crew pulled off cements that.
Let’s examine the key traits of the emotionally mature...
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Bold claim?
But the miraculous survival feat that Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton and his crew pulled off cements that.
Let’s examine the key traits of the emotionally mature...
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2/ In October of 1915, Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton had to abandon his ship Endurance. It got trapped in an ice floe in Antarctica.
Robert Greene, in his book The Laws of Human Nature, describes the challenges and predicaments that Shackleton had to face.
Robert Greene, in his book The Laws of Human Nature, describes the challenges and predicaments that Shackleton had to face.
3/ Greene calls Shackleton a healthy narcissist. I call him Emotionally Mature (EM).
The EM know how to ask for help. They don’t consider that as a sign of weakness.
They try new things and seek out the opinions and views of others.
The EM know how to ask for help. They don’t consider that as a sign of weakness.
They try new things and seek out the opinions and views of others.
4/ Shackleton knew he could not pull this burden off by himself.
He prepared duty rosters so that everyone could play their part. It kept the men distracted and held their spirits up.
He also made sure to consult and ask for ideas.
He prepared duty rosters so that everyone could play their part. It kept the men distracted and held their spirits up.
He also made sure to consult and ask for ideas.
5/ The EM know how to empathize with others. They
get along with people during difficult times.
Their open-mindedness and willingness to listen without judgment draws others in like a magnet.
Shackleton had honed his empathy and fashioned it into a survival tool.
get along with people during difficult times.
Their open-mindedness and willingness to listen without judgment draws others in like a magnet.
Shackleton had honed his empathy and fashioned it into a survival tool.
6/ The EM don’t point fingers in any direction. They handle the situation at hand without escalating it.
They don’t throw a pity-party and blame themselves either.
Instead, they ask :
“What can I do to improve this situation?”
“What can I do differently?”
They don’t throw a pity-party and blame themselves either.
Instead, they ask :
“What can I do to improve this situation?”
“What can I do differently?”
7/ Shackleton saw that their ice floe had become dangerously small.
So he ordered the men into three small lifeboats salvaged from the Endurance and headed for the nearby Elephant Island.
They reached, but their troubles were not over. But he improvised and pushed on:
So he ordered the men into three small lifeboats salvaged from the Endurance and headed for the nearby Elephant Island.
They reached, but their troubles were not over. But he improvised and pushed on:
8/ The EM never react. They listen and take in the world before they respond.
They know that the best solutions come when you delay the need to get rid of the problem quickly.
They are not helpless. They know that they still have an option to assert themselves down the line.
They know that the best solutions come when you delay the need to get rid of the problem quickly.
They are not helpless. They know that they still have an option to assert themselves down the line.
9/ Franz Alexander (Hogg Foundation, UT Austin) postulates that the EM have a precise inner thermostat.
It makes them aware of the realities – both the inner and the outer one.
They know that the patterns they learned in the past may not fit every new emergency
It makes them aware of the realities – both the inner and the outer one.
They know that the patterns they learned in the past may not fit every new emergency
10/ Shackleton embodied both of the above.
He considered every factor and sought precise and better solutions.
Case in point – his reaction when the grumpy Harry McNeish, suddenly stopped rowing during the attempt to reach South Georgia Island from Elephant Island:
He considered every factor and sought precise and better solutions.
Case in point – his reaction when the grumpy Harry McNeish, suddenly stopped rowing during the attempt to reach South Georgia Island from Elephant Island:
11/ The EM can show the world they are vulnerable.
They are not always about broadcasting their highlights and achievements.
They open up and share their own struggles – so others feel less alone.
They’re not interested in being seen as “perfect” all the time.
They are not always about broadcasting their highlights and achievements.
They open up and share their own struggles – so others feel less alone.
They’re not interested in being seen as “perfect” all the time.
12/ The EM accept that they are fallible. They roll with the punches and learn from their mistakes.
They admit when they are wide of the mark and try to find ways to rectify the situation.
They admit when they are wide of the mark and try to find ways to rectify the situation.
13/ For Shackleton though, this was not an option.
He needed to hide all his own doubts and fears and let his optimism show – even if he had to fake it. Else, he could lose the crew's faith.
But the cracks did show. And when they did, he handled them with utmost grace:
He needed to hide all his own doubts and fears and let his optimism show – even if he had to fake it. Else, he could lose the crew's faith.
But the cracks did show. And when they did, he handled them with utmost grace:
14/ Their tiny boat finally managed to land at South Georgia Island. With the help of the whalers who worked there, all of the remaining men on Elephant Island were rescued.
Shackleton and his crew's ordeal remains one of the most miraculous survival stories in history.
Shackleton and his crew's ordeal remains one of the most miraculous survival stories in history.
15/ Sir Edmund Hillary summed up Shackleton’s role in this herculean feat:
“For scientific leadership give me Scott; for swift, efficient travel, Amundsen; but when you are in a hopeless situation, when there seems no way out, get down on your knees and pray for Shackleton.”
“For scientific leadership give me Scott; for swift, efficient travel, Amundsen; but when you are in a hopeless situation, when there seems no way out, get down on your knees and pray for Shackleton.”
16/ Shackleton's traits aren’t magic. They don’t materialize out of thin air.
They result from practicing awareness, honesty, and humility.
Cultivate these traits and grow adept at tackling the challenges of life.
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They result from practicing awareness, honesty, and humility.
Cultivate these traits and grow adept at tackling the challenges of life.
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7 Remarkable Traits that Help Emotionally Mature People Conquer all Odds 
https://www.resilienthuman.me/emotionally-mature/
https://www.resilienthuman.me/emotionally-mature/
Thanks for reading!
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Cheers, Subhajit https://www.resilienthuman.me/newsletter/
If you enjoyed it please do share. I also write a bi-weekly newsletter that you might like.
Cheers, Subhajit https://www.resilienthuman.me/newsletter/
