Ok, so you have read Part 1 and learned that mental toughness starts within. If not click here to start. You are working on building a good foundation that entails a loving relationship with yourself above all. Depending on where you’re at with this, you’re working on developing more self-confidence, self-belief and you’re learning to nail positive self-talk. You’re shutting down the negativity and treating your body and mind well. So, let’s now move up the ladder and onto Part 2.

In this part, we will look at the research and I’ll highlight scientific literature to discover what defines mental toughness and how to build it. In particular the studies mentioned focus on investigating athletes (which most of you are!), but keep in mind these concepts transcend sport and are applicable to your whole life!

You would think that mental toughness is pretty simple to define and figure out, but in reality it’s not. Even research shows that mental toughness is one of the most overused yet misunderstood elements in sport.

The definition I like most comes from researchers Graham Jones, Sheldon Hanton, and Declan Connaughton:

“Mental toughness is having the natural or developed psychological edge that enables mentally tough performers to:

Generally, cope better than your opponents with the many demands (competition, training, lifestyle) that sport places on a performer

Specifically, be more consistent and better than your opponents in remaining determined, focused, confident, and in control under pressure.”

Jones et al., also researched the common personality traits among those who were considered mentally tough:

12 traits found in those who are mentally tough:

  1. Having an unshakable self-belief in your ability to achieve your competition goals.
  2. Bouncing back from performance setbacks as a result of increased determination to succeed.
  3. Having an unshakable self-belief that you possess unique qualities and abilities that make you better than your opponents.
  4. Having an insatiable desire and internalized motives to succeed.
  5. Thriving on the pressure of competition.
  6. Accepting that competition anxiety is inevitable and knowing that you can cope with it.
  7. Not being adversely affected by others’ good and bad performances.
  8. Remaining fully focused in the face of personal life distractions.
  9. Switching a sport focus on and off as required.
  10. Remaining fully focused on the task at hand in the face of competition-specific distractions.
  11. Pushing back the boundaries of physical and emotional pain, while still maintaining technique and effort under distress (in training and competition).
  12. Regaining psychological control following unexpected, uncontrollable events.

Research by Clough, Earle and Sewell also simplified mental toughness into a model consisting of four categories denoting personality traits:

  1. Confidence
  2. Challenge
  3. Control
  4. Commitment

Additionally, Clough et al., created the following brief list of traits and behaviors associated with mental toughness (you will see overlap with the 12 traits listed above):

  1. Persistence
  2. Self-belief
  3. Insatiable desire to succeed
  4. Ability to remain focused
  5. Pushes self to the limit
  6. Handles pressure
  7. Maintains emotional control
  8. Involves self at all times
  9. Influential among team

So, now think about yourself. Do you possess any, most or all of these traits listed above? Make a list of traits you already believe you have, and make a list of traits you desire to have!

Thinking back to my competition days, I definitely possessed quite a few of these traits. But not all of them, that’s for sure. When in team sports, I didn’t deal well with pressure at all. But in triathlon, I had an insatiable desire to succeed and could easily push myself to the limit. I vividly remember telling myself, “I am better. I can handle this. I can handle more than the average person. I can push.” Perhaps that fed my mental toughness, and helped me perform well, but there were flaws in this mindset. I ended up pushing myself too hard in all aspects of life and that’s because I still lacked the self-love, emotional control and ability to take care of my wellness first…

But when you learn to put your wellbeing first, which I have now, it breeds a whole new type of mental toughness. That’s why I can’t emphasize enough the aspects covered in Part 1. In fact, personally I believe I possess more mental toughness traits, genuinely, these days than when I was in peak triathlon racing mode.

This stuff doesn’t just have to be about sport and competition; these traits should be cultivated and applied to all areas of your life! In fact, the work by Clough et al., emphasized the broad application of mental toughness and not limiting it to sport.

Which brings me to the next thought:

Can you develop and build mental toughness or are you born with or without it?

Both.

There is certainly a well-established genetic component to who becomes mentally tough, but thankfully it’s a nature-nurture thing, which means we also have the power to develop our mental toughness at any age—and you can start right this second even if it’s severely lacking.

So don’t worry if you don’t find yourself possessing any of the mental toughness traits at the moment, you have the power to become a mentally tough master!

How?

  1. Get uncomfortable – Go outside your comfort zone and put yourself in a tough situation that challenges you physically and/or mentally. This single act can not be emphasized enough. In my opinion going outside your comfort zone is not only how we can develop mental toughness but the ticket to a successful life!
  2. Be consistent – repetition breeds success.
  3. Coping with stressful events and/or tough times – Whether this is uncontrollable life events or events we sign up for that result in “bad” performances or a stressful experience, we build toughness when we have those hard days. So that race where you blew it? Probably the best thing that could have happened to you! Furthermore, it’s shown that those who endure tough times early on in life (parents divorce, loss of loved one, etc.) become more mentally tough. I can’t help but agree because some of the toughest and most persistent, unwavering athletes I know have been through some majorly harsh life events. That said, I prefer your “tough times” come from hard races or the like—nothing tragic, please!
  4. Challenge limits – We all place boundaries on ourselves, sometimes we realize these boundaries, but sometimes they’re invisible even to our conscious mind. Being able to lift those boundaries (i.e. the things hold us back) and reach new limits (i.e. going places that we once didn’t think possible) is money. To me, implementing #1, going outside your comfort zone, is a great way to start challenging limits.
  5. Mental “homework” – practicing self-talk and self-reflection helps build mental toughness, and I mean staying consistent with this, not just “Oh, I tried that last month” (see #2). As well, goal-setting and imagery help foster the self-belief that adds to toughness and ultimately helps us execute our dream goals—in sport and life.

Can this be coached?

Yes and no. Coaches, mentors, authority figures, etc., cannot create your mental toughness but they can help. What we can do is support you by alleviating your concerns, sharing experiences, helping you find the meaning in your experiences (especially those tough days), and urging you to practice, believe and go for it.

I tell my athletes, “I will do everything I can to help you achieve your goals and beyond, especially giving you a smart program that fits your needs, but in this journey you cannot look to me to give you the motivation or confidence to execute. I am not your cheerleader. Your mental toughness and desire to succeed have to come from within!”

And after some time coaching, it’s pretty easy to see who has it, and who doesn’t. Those I coach who do the best, relatively speaking, are those who possess many of these traits covered in this post. Meanwhile, those athletes who don’t “have it” and don’t get their goals are the ones making excuses, not committing, and ultimately fading away. I used to take it personally when an athlete didn’t achieve what they set out to do originally as if it were my fault, but now I realize it has nothing to do with me, and I did everything I could for that person—they just didn’t believe, and underneath convinced themselves they couldn’t do it. That’s fine, and not necessarily a bad thing, but I know if you’re reading this you want more from yourself—and you can have it!

Just remember this: I can talk about this topic until I am blue in the face, give you all the secrets and tips, but at the end of the day it’s on YOU to make the difference and create your own mental toughness.

Stay tuned for Part 3.

Resources

Clough, P. J., K. Earle, and D. Sewell. (2002). Mental Toughness. The Concept and its Management. In: Cockerill, I. (Ed.), Solutions in Sport Psychology. London: Thomson. pp. 32–45.

Crust, L. & Clough, P. (2011). Developing mental toughness from research to practice. Journal of Sports Psychology in Action, 2, 21-32.

Jones, G.; Hanton, S.; Connaughton, D. (2002). “What Is This Thing Called Mental Toughness? An Investigation of Elite Sport Performers”. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology. 14 (3): 205–218. doi:10.1080/10413200290103509.

Jones, G.; Hanton, S.; Connaughton, D. (2007). “A framework of mental toughness in the world’s best performers”. Sport Psychologist. 21 (2): 243–264.

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10413200290103509

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02640410701310958