Have you ever wondered what makes someone a good athlete?
Or a good leader?
Or a good parent?
Why do some people accomplish their goals while others fail?
What makes the difference?
This post originally appeared onJames Clears blog.
Shes faster than everyone else on the team.
He is a brilliant business strategist.But I think we all know there is more to the story than that.
What makes a bigger impact than talent or intelligence?
Why is mental toughness so important?
And how can you develop more of it?
Lets talk about that now.
During their first summer on campus, cadets are required to complete a series of brutal tests.
This summer initiation program is known internally as Beast Barracks.
At West Point, she tracked a total of 2,441 cadets spread across two entering classes.
When Is Mental Toughness Useful?
Duckworths research has revealed the importance of mental toughness in a variety of fields.
And its not just education where mental toughness and grit are useful.
In other words,talent is overrated.
What Makes Someone Mentally Tough?
In a word, toughness and grit equalconsistency.
Mentally tough athletes are more consistent than others.
They dont miss assignments.
They always have their teammates back.
Mentally tough leaders are more consistent than their peers.
They have aclear goalthat they work towards each day.
Mentally tough artists, writers, and employees deliver on a more consistent basis than most.
They work on a schedule, not just when they feel motivated.
They approach their work like a pro, not an amateur.
Theydo the most important thing firstand dont shirk responsibilities.
you’re able to become more consistent.
you’ve got the option to develop superhuman levels of mental toughness.
In my experience, these three strategies work well in the real world:
1.
For you, it might be…
Mental toughness is an abstract quality, but in the real world its tied to concrete actions.
Which brings me to my second point.
How did you perform in the championship game?
Can you keep your life together while grieving the death of a family member?
Did you bounce back after your business went bankrupt?
Mental toughness is like a muscle.
It needs to be worked to grow and develop.
But it doesnt have to be that way.
Choose to do the tenth rep when it would be easier to just do nine.
Choose to create when it would be easier to consume.
Choose to ask the extra question when it would be easier to accept.
Mental toughness is built through small wins.
Its the individual choices that we make on a daily basis that build our mental toughness muscle.
We all want mental strength, but you cant think your way to it.
Its your physical actions that prove your mental fortitude.
Mental Toughness Is About Your Habits, Not Your Motivation
Motivation is fickle.
Willpower comes and goes.
Mental toughness isnt about getting an incredible dose of inspiration or courage.
Mentally tough people dont have to be more courageous, more talented, or more intelligentjust more consistent.
Its their habits that form the foundation of their mental beliefs and ultimately set them apart.
Ive written about this many times before.
Here are the basic steps for building a new habit and links to further information on doing each step.
Start by building your identity.
Focus on small behaviors, not lifechanging transformations.
Develop a routine that gets you going regardless of how motivated you feel.
Stick to the schedule and forget about the results.
When you slip up, get back on track as quickly as possible.
Mental toughness comes down to your habits.
Its about doing the things you know youre supposed to do on a more consistent basis.
Its about your dedication to daily practice and your ability to stick to a schedule.
When things get tough for most people, they find something easier to work on.
When things get difficult for mentally tough people, they find a way to stay on schedule.
Thousands of people have attended his online seminars onHabits,Willpower, andProcrastination.
Image byiluistrator(Shutterstock).
