The Peak Performance Expert

Looking at the sports pages, it seems that any athlete is mentally tough.  The term mental toughness is overused or misused by commentators.  Anyone who exhibits determination and who works hard is deemed mentally tough. 

But - it’s much more. There’s a difference between describing a mentally tough person and becoming a mentally tough person (athlete or not). In athletics, one becomes mentally tough through years of hard work, dedication, and commitment; through a willingness to follow the routine of practice, perform and evaluate; and most importantly by adjusting one’s thinking. 

Champions in athletics and in business maintain a fairly dispassionate perspective about their chosen area of competition.  They may love their game or their vocation but they do not fall prey to emotional over-involvement.  Their thinking is disciplined and their approach is deliberate.  Rather than frantically going for the big grand slam, they are satisfied with base hits.  It’s the steady consistency that ultimately wins.                

This entry was posted on Monday, November 17th, 2008 at 6:50 pm and is filed under Championship Mindset, Mental Toughness. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.