Mental toughness is a by product of multiple factors including: mindset, passion, efficient practice, self talk, committing to the process and controlling what we can control. As well, without disregard some athletes will naturally be mentally tougher because of their childhoods or tough upbringing that forced them to inherit these traits subconsciously. However, we can strive to work towards elite mental toughness by following their foundational foot steps of Routine & Consistency. Here are 15 KEY daily and weekly habits that will improve your mental toughness and help you achieve your ultimate PEAK performance...
1) Seize the day
Wake up early and seize the whole day, athletes typically are up by 5-6am. Remember your parents always saying, Early birds gets the worm :) We can never get time back... understand the importance of time. When we want to maximize our time here, it's essential we get the most of our day. Imagine completing a 100km bike ride before lunch? Make time for the important aspects of life. Fitness, nutrition, mental health...Our t.v, cell phone, social media will always be there... Time will not. Why wouldn't you "live" more than waste the day away... Always remember the opportunity in everyday.
2) Express gratitude
Express to yourself what you are thankful for each day and the levels you have completed. Being thankful only takes a moment of your time. Having a gratitude mindset changes the focus from life's negative conditioning that leads us towards ungratefulness... We must focus on REAL values and live with purpose and passion. When we can see everything we truly have, our mood and mentality completely raise. Staying grateful and being humble are KEYS to Success. The happiest people are grateful for what they have. They see the cup half full vs. half empty and pessimistic. Try to be an eternal optimist, with the mindset of constant growth and never believing we "know everything".
3) Note down todays goal
Write down your daily goal, and focus of today's workouts or training... (Have a purpose!) Writing it down creates a higher probability for REAL manifestation... The brain is always engrained better when we physically write out our goals and consistently journal about our nutrition, workouts, and mental health. KEYS to growth is maintaining that journal so we can see the progress taking place and help guide our drive to keep persistent.
4) Step outside your comfort zone
Do something that out of the normal for yourself. Push yourself to do something different, for example say Hi to a stranger at the grocery store or while walking down the street. This growth helps us truly to find the path we can create. We can never truly grow if we can not let go of our old self... We must be willing to venture into uncomfortable situations and embrace the challenge, with passion and complete confidence of our focus towards controlling what we can. Once our mindset is set on growth, opportunities can be maximized and desired results will elevate.
5) Learn from Yesterday (F.A.I.L)
Write down yesterday's mistakes that need adjusting for today. F.A.I.L means "first attempt in learning" If their is no failure, we never know what adjustments we need to make. Always keep trying, but learn from your mistakes and focus on not repeating them... The most successful people have failed the most! We are conditioned to believe that failure is bad, however it is evident that the most passionate in their craft have failed more than many have succeeded. Be willing to try, and make adjustments as need be.
6) Sharing is Caring
Have a GROWTH MINDSET. If we ever believe we know everything, soon enough we will get humbled. Learn from everyone and "sharing is caring"... Passion to share life experience or education needs to be shared to others in order to help uplift those whom may embark on the same challenges or tribulations. We can all learn from each others journeys. There is enough negativity everyday, we need to have more focus on positivity. This creates transformation of our vibrations. Higher vibrations are essential to perform our best.
7) Be alone with your thoughts
Listen to a motivating speech or song that puts your MINDSET into a higher gear. Not everyday you will have the same drive. Focus on a routine of consistently reminding yourself WHY you are pursuing your passion. Mastering our inner game is essential to manifesting our desires for the outer game. Positive self talk and daily affirmations are building blocks to REAL confidence. Remember your WHY. It will get you through the challenging times. Having a "go to" playlist will ensure excellent drive and push in those needed times. Music and inspirational videos can switch your mood form negative to positive in a few mins. Stay determined... Results are derived from investing in the process. See the bigger picture of your goals.
8) Don't get caught in "Good enough"
Focus on the little details... If we get too caught up in "good enough" because it still moves us towards our goals, we will never be able to refine our abilities to the ELITE LEVEL. It takes love for the process and enjoying the journey to create the desired results! If we settle with mediocre, we are setting ourselves up for more work and heartache in the long run. Why do something if its not 100%?... Is regret better than investing needed time for a full effort? A+ for effort at all times, regardless if the result is not as expected. Remember, "Hard work beats talent, when talent doesn't work" But, it takes complete commitment to the present moment to maximize our hard efforts. Focus on what we can control. And this is one... Patience is a necessity, and helps us to truly leave no stone un-touched.
9) Eat nutritiously
Eat nutritiously dense food that supports your performance and goals. Eating junk food or highly processed foods will never elevate your physical or mental body to the NEXT LEVEL... Our Nutritional routine and consistency changes many aspects such as: hormones, mood, digestion, cardiovascular ability, muscular performance and cognitive function. Healthy nutrition with discipline and focus gives us the ability and opportunity to train and or perform at our maximum potential. From an elite athlete's perspective, put in the best fuel so your engine can perform at its highest level. Why wouldn't ya? When we commit to elevating our physical body to the next level, imagine where the mind can go... The body is a vessel for the mind, and those who can dedicate to a nutritious lifestyle will reap the major benefits of a higher quality of living.
10) Label your emotions
Our emotions are a huge part in who we are as a person. They sometimes influence our day to day decision. Once our logic and emotions are aligned, our decisions will be the wisest ever and you will have a "feel good" feeling about the decision made. Understanding the connection between our emotions and our logic, gives us insight into how we can shape our mindset. Being able to acknowledge that certain emotions lead to poor decisions or great ones, allows us to reflect with more logic. Therefore, adjusting our reasoning and ability to remain in control of our actions.
11) Assert your Personal Power
Life has many ups and downs, Don't declare yourself a victim. Embrace yourself so we don't get stuck in one place. Refuse to use language like, “My parents makes me feel bad,” or “My boss makes me work late.” Those statements can be reframed into something more empowering, like, “My mother doesn’t control how I feel. I’m responsible for my emotions.” Or: “There will be consequences if I don’t work late, but it’s still my choice.”
12) Focus on what you can control
Resilient individuals focus their time/energy on situations they have controlled. By controlling what they can control, they put their efforts where they have the most impact. They feel confident and empowered. Can we change external factors?... If not, focusing on them is only a distraction from our opportunity to succeed.
13) Embrace change
Mental tough people know how to be flexible and adapt to change. Fear of change is a road block to success and fulfillment. Always assume change is down the road and constantly plan for contingencies. One of the keys to success is adjusting on the fly... Having the ability to go with the flow and keep evolving based on the current experience or environment is next level thinking. Fixed mindsets destroy the opportunity to truly flourish and stay in a positive mindset, knowing your life is revolved around your true passions and goals. Imagine the joy we wake up with when are pursuing our REAL passion. I hope everyone reaches that level!
14) Fear only leads to regret
Elite athletes often suffer from many forms of fear. The fear of pain and injury. The fear of failure. The fear of too much success. The fear of not being able to wake up tomorrow. The worst thing we can do is allow ourselves to die inside. Its up to us to limit our list of regrets. From personal experience, fear is an illusion that only creates a "what if" mindset. Why not focus on what we can control right now? Can we manifest tomorrow's desires by missing the opportunity to create it today? Learn to embrace these challenges with REAL passion and just enjoy the moment. If you put in the work and trust the process, the world is yours.
15) View failure as fuel for your journey
Mentally tough individuals know the successful and fulfilling path in life, with small pockets of micro failures. Sometimes a failure is inevitable and just aspect of life. These micro failures help us learn how we failed, so we can achieve our goal. Thomas Edison failed many times before creating many of his inventions.
Keep striving to grow everyday, and take your Mental Toughness to the HIGHEST LEVEL!
Love M!NDSET TEAM
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