I believe that you are the sum total of the obstacles you overcome. If you haven’t had many obstacles in your life, this crisis might be overwhelming your capacity. If you’ve lived through worse, it’s just a speed bump in the road of life. I have friends who haven’t experienced much adversity. They are coming unglued. Yeah, they’ve experienced inconveniences, but never genuine hardship. On the other hand, I have an aunt who grew up in Soviet-occupied Poland during the end of World War II. My late mother was born before the Nazi invasion -- followed by the Soviet invasion -- so she knew nothing but war for most of her youth. To my aunt, social distancing and toilet paper shortages are a minor inconvenience. She’s lived through far worse. The best summation of this mindset is summed up by David Goggins, world record holder, ultra-endurance athlete, former Navy SEAL, Army Ranger, and all-around badass. He calls it the Cookie Jar. Growing up, everyone’s mom had a cookie jar. It’s where you had everything from Oreos to homemade chocolate chip cookies. The cookie jar is where you found happiness and a sense of comfort. For Goggins, the Cookie Jar is a place where you store your victories and accomplishments. “We all have a cookie jar inside us, because life, being what it is, has always tested us. Even if you’re feeling low and beat down by life right now, I guarantee you can think of a time or two when you overcame odds and tasted success.” Even as successful as he is, Goggins, like the rest of us, can be crippled with self-doubt. When he is, he reaches into his Cookie Jar to remind himself of just how awesome he truly is. “That’s one reason I invented the Cookie Jar. We must create a system that constantly reminds us who the f**k we are when we are at our best, because life is not going to pick us up when we fall. There will be forks in the road, knives in your f**king back, mountains to climb, and we are only capable of living up to the image we create for ourselves. Prepare yourself!” So… If you’re feeling down, pull a past success out of your cookie jar and remember you’re a badass. And if you feel like this is getting the best of you… Remember, you are still a badass. Use COVID-19 to put a new note in your Cookie Jar.