Think back on all the times when you have failed or came short of meeting your goal, in those situations what was the common denominator?

In most situations, you will discover that there may have been some form of mental weakness.  Before you disagree or stop reading this blog, let me explain why I say this.

Mental toughness is commonly referred to a person that has a set of positive attributes that helps them cope with difficult situations.  Most influential leaders are well rounded in the area of mental strength.

However, we all are susceptible to experience mental weakness at some point.  When we experience mental weakness, it doesn’t mean we are bad people.  It just means that we are in need of strength.  Before we discuss mental toughness (strength), let’s talk about what mental weakness looks like.  Mental weakness can happen as a result of the following:

- Working long hours without a break or a day off,

- Experiencing death of a friend or love one,

- The occurrence of a major injury, and/or

- Any disconnect with a significant relationship in your life.

This is a limited list, but these situations and many others are very impactful when it comes to maintaining mental toughness.  Here are 7 ways to develop mental toughness.

1.    Increase your emotional intelligence.

The foundation of mental toughness is emotional intelligence.  Emotional intelligence is the capacity to be aware of, control, and express one’s emotions, and to handle interpersonal relationships with good judgment and the ability to understand and share the feelings of others.  In other words, our ability to control negativity or positivity internally and externally characterizes if we have emotional intelligence, which leads to mental toughness.

2.    Be confident.

Confidence isn’t faking yourself into believe a lie.  This is called insecurity.  Confidence is the belief in oneself and one’s powers and abilities.

3.    Neutralize toxic people and habits.

It can be quite hard to deal with difficult people.  It can leave you frustrating and exhausting.  But the same can be said about having toxic habits.  Instead of letting any form of toxicity control your life, find a way to neutralize it.  

4.    Embrace change and failure.

Don’t ever be afraid of change or failure.  Change and failure can both be uncomfortable, but it is necessary to embrace both to develop mental toughness.

5.    Exercise.

When we are healthy physically, it is easier for us to be healthy mentally.  Exercise helps to release dopamine and serotonin, which are chemicals that help us to maintain good mental health.  It also decreases cortisol levels.  High cortisol levels usually are a response to stress or low blood-glucose concentrations, which usually causes immunity suppression, hypertension, bone loss, and more.  So exercise is beneficial to sustaining good mental toughness. 

6.    Get sleep.

So who needs sleep?  We all need sleep.  Why?  Sleep helps us to maintain high levels of concentration, increases our short-term memory, increases our ability to think with flexibility, and improves our insight and performance.

7.    Be happy for others.

Another way to build mental toughness is by being genuinely happy for the achievements and accomplishments of others.  You will open up opportunities for your success when you are happy for others.  The opposite of being happy for others is being jealous of others success.  In either case, anytime you are in opposition of someone else’s success, you only limiting your own success.  Don’t carry that burden of negativity and limitation around with you.  Be happy for others who work hard and strive for excellence.  When you are appreciative and happy for the success of others, others will appreciate, be happy, and cheer for you to succeed.

Whatever you do, please understand how important mental toughness is to your life’s success.  How can mental toughness be an asset to you in the marketplace?  Please leave a comment below or email me directly to share your thoughts.

Bryant

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