Ways To Increase Mental Tougness
“It is the nature of thought to find its way into action” – Chrisian Nevell Bovee
"Mental toughness is essential to success" Vince Lombardi
Mental strength involves more than just willpower; it requires hard work and commitment, says Amy Morin, a licensed clinical social worker in Lincoln, Maine.
1. Revisit your Fundamental Beliefs Deep seated beliefs influence your actions whether you’re aware of these core beliefs or not. These beliefs could long past their used by date, inaccurate or unproductive. Negative beliefs could become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Very few things in life are “always” or “never” true.
2. Use Mental Energy Wisely We generally exhaust our mental energy with matters out of our control leaving little for the things we can do something about e.g. if a hurricane is coming your way, sitting , talking and worrying about it won’t change a thing. But you can focus on preparing for it. Doing something energises you. Focus on things you can control.
3. Don’t Entertain Negative Thoughts “It is the nature of thought to find its way into action” – Chrisian Nevell Bovee. Be aware of what you are thinking! Negative thoughts have a habit of spiralling out of control and leading to regrettable acts. Make a habit – as soon as a negative thought enters your brain quickly replace with a positive one. Repeat affirmations. Repeat words in your mind to help you focus on a task. We have all watched Serena Williams talk herself up in a game when she is down. It is harder for negative thoughts to enter your mind while you are chanting “I am a winner”, “I’m an overcomer”. You get the drift.
4. Step Out of Your Comfort Zone It has been said that if your going through Hell – don’t stop.We should accept feelings but not controlled by them. You can feel down, depressed, disappointed, angry, ashamed but shouldn’t be controlled by those feelings. Have a clear mental picture of what you will be and what you will look like at the finish. Walk and look the part. No gains without pains. Tiger Woods see’s himself putting on the green jacket at Augusta Nationals. What do you see yourself as?
5. Develop Good Rituals
Cut out the habits that connect you to negative thoughts or those not aligned with your goals. Every successful athlete has a ritual directed towards their goal. Michael Jordan goes to the basketball court every day and shoots 1000 free throws. Tiger Woods putts for hours and hits 1000′s of golf balls. Herschel Walker does 1000 pushups every morning. Rituals condition us to be tougher than the average athlete. Michael’s mind has made him perform this task daily to condition himself for future success. What’s yours?
6. Stick around winners
Iron sharpens iron. Hang around an environment where only the tough survive and you will see your mental conditioning rise after the first day. The people you associate with determine how far you can go. Get tough by getting next to those at the next level.
7. Practise solitude
Always find time to be alone to reflect on how your day went. Find yourself. Identify things you could have done better. Don’t dwell on your failures, focus on the positives and how you can increase them. What have you learnt about the day?
