Mental Toughness & You
Mental toughness. A phrase tossed around frequently in athletics. Which athletes can handle the late game fatigue, the pressure, the mind game that sports require? Who’s the clutch, go-to player that rises to the occasion and is ready to carry the weight of the team on their back? Who can handle the constant critiquing and inevitable mistakes – and never allow their confidence to taper?
While this skill is a necessity for any stand-out athlete, it’s also one of the most valuable traits we can carry into various facets of our personal lives. Take a moment to reflect. How do you handle hardship? Are you resilient when the “going gets tough?” What kind of stamina do you bring to the obstacles you face in your career, family life, friendships, health and finances?
If I could name one defining characteristic I see in my most successful clients, it’s undeniably mental toughness. It’s a skill that takes your financial life to a new level. You’re willing to make sacrifices in the now to better serve your future self. It’s also a trait I find in the people I admire most, the friends I enjoy being around, and a skill that I am consciously working to instill in my children.
If we can learn to navigate adversity with grit, and confidence in ourselves despite our uncertain future, then we can handle anything that life throws at it us. Add in a dose of gratitude, and a splash of accountability? We’d be unstoppable.
Whether it’s market volatility, job insecurity, health fears, or the very necessary disruption we’ve experienced in our country over the last few weeks…know that you can handle it. You’ve got what it takes to tap into that mental toughness and press forward each day. To reach for those goals you set at the beginning of the year. To show yourself compassion and others empathy.
I’m far from comfortable, but I know we’ll come out the other side of this better than before. We have to. There are a lot of people counting on each and every one of us to rise to the occasion and better ourselves. To tap into that mental toughness, and gather the courage it takes to listen, to learn, to drive change.
I see you, sweating in that empty gym with no one watching. Putting in the reps. Building those resiliency muscles. You’ve got this.
