MENTAL TOUGHNESS

As a basketball coach I ve used this phrase with my players a million times. During conditioning, before a tough game, right in the middle of a grueling practice etc etc. I ve preached how the mind has to be shut off sometimes for us to be successful. Because during those tough times the mind sometimes sends us negative messages. It tells us to quit. It tells us that what we re doing is to tough. It tells us that what we re doing can't be accomplished. And as we all know when the mind goes the body follows.

I tell my players that sports a lot of times mimics life. In both you have different struggles and heartaches you have to get over in order to become succesful or to be happy.

Mental toughness is needed on not just a day to day basis but sometimes a minute to minute one. Recovering addicts have to use mental toughness every second of their lives to stop themselves from going back to old habits. How mentally tough does one have to be after losing a loved one, or being layed off? They're a million scenarios in our lives where we have to be strong mentally.

The mind is such a powerful tool. When its working for us its a beautiful thing, we feel great about who we are and what we re doing, we re positive and we dont let anything get in our way. When its working against us it's the opposite, it can be destructive and it could put us in an unhealthy place both mentally and physically.

"Once you let negative thoughts infiltrate your mind its going to take a whole army to get them out."

It all starts with our thoughts. Mental toughness can be learned. It's not something you have to be born with. Each time you push yourself through something difficult, that you didnt think you could do, you re building up your mental toughness.

The key is during times of hardship, remember the moments where you ve overcome something difficult in the past. Then you can look at the current situation and say to yourself, I know i can get over this because I ve dealt with tough situations before, and although this one might be different it's still going to take the same mental toughness as the last one to get through it.

Build up your mental toughness by every obstacle you overcome and that will make the next one a little bit easier to deal with.