What Is Mental Toughness?
Nowadays, we hear a lot of people talking about mental toughness. But what is mental toughness anyways? What does it mean, and why should you care?
Mental toughness is a way to measure your resilience and perseverance based on your ability to work hard when performing under adverse conditions. Through thick and thin, you stay committed to your goals, rain or shine.
When facing adversity, many paralyze and are clueless on how to handle failure, and sadly that is where most of the dreams end.
The ones that can look pass through the current challenges and focus at the big picture persistently pushing through no matter how difficult things get, are the ones who come out a winner accomplishing what others believed to be impossible.
A mentally tough person is willing to put in the work showing consistency over time. If they fail, they learn the lesson and try again. Nothing stops them from pursuing their purpose.
Above all, they believe in themselves and are confident about their ability to make things happen. Even when the odds are stacked against them.
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Define Your Long-Term Goals.
High achievers have their long-term goals clearly outlined with a roadmap pointing out how to get there. You must know where you are heading so you can take the proper steps that will lead you in the right direction.
The difference between successful people and most of us is that they consistently work towards their goals with the understanding that obstacles and setbacks are part of the package.
There is never the expectation that everything will be all cupcakes and rainbows.
Accepting the hurdles presented to you instead of fighting back will save you time and energy making it easier to find a solution to the problem at hand if you look at it with an open mind.
How To Improve Mental Toughness.
The great news about this whole thing is that you can improve mental toughness by implementing small changes and building up from that.
Check Angela Duckworth‘s book to understand how self-control and grit might be the determinator factor of success. It is an excellent reading!
Learn To Delay Gratification.
To achieve greatness, you need to be willing to delay gratification in favor of a greater reward later. Any endeavor you embark on will require sacrifice and hard work.
The moment you begin to say no to immediate pleasure, focusing on what needs to get done and getting rid of distractions, you will be on your way to bigger and better things.
Be Comfortable in Your Own Skin.
When you are comfortable with who you are, external factors cannot affect your opinion about yourself. You know you are capable of amazing things, and if something does not work out according to plan, you don’t take it personally.
There is no reason to look for someone else to blame. Accepting full responsibility, you go back to the drawing board and come up with a new strategy. That is what leaders do!
And then, you try harder next time.
Exercise Self-Discipline.
Have every single task scheduled in your calendar and mark as complete when you are finished.
Get into the habit of planning your week ahead of time and sticking to the plan. Exercise self-discipline and do the work even when you don’t feel motivated or something more interesting comes up.
Respect the commitment you made to yourself and take your goals seriously.
Successful people will always prioritize their To-Do list first before entertaining doing anything else. Self-control is crucial to building up mental toughness.
Related: How To Have Self Discipline To Achieve More In Life
Mental Toughness Is Uncomfortable.
Growing and learning new stuff is uncomfortable. Start something new is uncomfortable. Embracing change and taking risks is uncomfortable. Get used to it!
A big part of being mentally tough is to accept you need to get out of your comfort zone and be willing to do hard things that otherwise, you wouldn’t do it.
Be brave and do stuff that scares you.
Related: 5 Simple Ways To Embrace Change And Set Yourself Up For Success
Be In Control When Performing Under Pressure.
Some are unable to perform under pressure. You have a deadline to deliver a project or a book, and you can’t get yourself to put your head down and get the work done. Or you have an event coming up, but you are not prepared for it.
Regardless of what it is, planning is usually the answer. Stop stressing out as that doesn’t produce any results and puts you in a disempowering position where you take no action. Worrying has solved no one’s problem.
When you can master your mind, you can accomplish anything. The pressure you feel is just a feeling your thought has created.
Stop procrastinating. Plan what needs to be done, break down in small bite sizes, book the time to work on it, and get to it.
Many athletes who feel the pressure before an important competition use music, positive affirmations, and visualization of the desired outcome to shift their mindset to be in the right headspace.
Know Your Purpose And Find Joy.
When you work towards an end goal aligned with your purpose, all the other pieces fall into place.
To see progress, you must consistently take action. It is so much more manageable to persevere and stick to something you are passionate about and can find joy.
Through hardships, if your reason or WHY is compelling enough, it will supersede the temptation of giving up because there is emotion involved. You are following your purpose and have invested your soul in this effort.
Since your feelings trigger your actions, there is a higher chance you will do whatever it takes to reach your goal.
Your resilience will be put to the test. Endurance will help you win this battle and overcome the challenges. Motivation alone won’t get you where you want to go, but passion and persistence will.
Being mentally stronger means you will be willing to undergo the trials and tribulations to achieve the desired outcome.
What being mentally tough means to you?
For every person you ask, mental toughness will mean something different.
It could mean you can complete the training to run a marathon or give up on sugar or start a side hustle to complement your income or learn a new skill or meditate daily or workout regularly. It could mean a million things!
A weak mind won’t be able to accomplish anything challenging. Start small building up daily habits that contribute to your overall life plan. Make it part of your routine. The key is consistency over time.
Strive for progress and devote yourself to projects that make you want to jump out of bed every morning and excited about the future.
Innate talent and intelligence are not the tickets to success. Self-discipline and perseverance will get you to your purpose.
Stick to doing the things you committed to do. Don’t underestimate the power of stick-to-it-iveness or grit and keep failing forward toward your long-term goals.
Related: TED Talks – Grit: The Power of Passion And Perseverance by Angela Duckworth
2 thoughts on “What Is Mental Toughness And How To Improve It”
Lucky to have been raised in an environment where there was a good balance of mental toughness and grit. This was just normal in my household and I’ve been able to carry an immense amount of self discipline into my adult life which always pays off in the long term.
Good for you! Self-discipline and perseverance will take you where you want to go. Thank you for commenting Nathalia š