Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Mental Toughness - Part 1


As we embark on our journey through the ever changing market, I thought it fitting to encourage you to consider making yourself more mentally tough.

Now, some people confuse having “thick skin” with mental toughness. They feel that being a mentally tough person means being able to take criticism and barrel forward. Maybe they learn from it, maybe they don’t, but, either way, they’re mentally tough, right? Wrong.

Just a basic definition of mental toughness shows that it has less to do with a thick skin than having a strong core. I recently read a short outline about Mental Toughness in athletes by Dr. David Yukelson from a large State University. In it, he cites four key psychological characteristics of mentally tough athletes:

  1. Self-belief
  2. Motivation
  3. Focus; and
  4. Composure.

That’s a heck of a lot more than just having thick skin, isn’t it?   

Before I dive into these aspects,  I would really like for you you to write these down and take a few moments each day to self reflect on where you stack up in those areas.   Next week, I will post Part 2 where I will spend time diving into a few of these aspects to help you on your journey.

Until then, I resolve to seek progress through being mentally tough, will you join me? 



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