Building Mental Toughness as an Athlete

Building mental toughness is just like building muscle — you have to work at it every day if you want to become stronger. In Peter Clough and Doug Strycharczyk’s book, Developing Mental Toughness, they define mental toughness as “The quality which determines in large part how people deal effectively with challenges, stressors, and pressure…irrespective of prevailing circumstances.”

Mental Toughness is:

• Being able to suffer the longest
• Being willing to do what other athletes won’t do
• About your attitude and the way you think
• A habit — the more you train it, the stronger it becomes
• Consistently performing regardless of your situation
• Remaining confident under pressure
• Tolerating pain and discomfort

Mental Toughness is not:

• Giving up when it gets hard
• Having a bad attitude when you lose, fail, or make a mistake
• Something you acquire in one day
• About the destination
• Extrinsically motivated

Athletes are more successful (emotionally, physically, and in their sport) when they’re mentally tough. Read…