Does Mental Toughness mean that we have to be macho and uncaring?

NO!

Studies show that males and females show similar patterns of Mental Toughness and research has found close relationships between higher levels of Mental Toughness and higher levels of emotional intelligence.

To look at a few definitions of Mental toughness, it has been described:

..."as a personality trait which determines, in large part, how people respond to challenge, stress and pressure, irrespective of their circumstances." – Clough & Stycharczyk

“The ability to consistently perform towards the upper range of your capabilities, regardless of competitive circumstances.” - Jim Loehr, EdD

The opposite of Mental Toughness is Mental Sensitivity. Research shows that the Mentally Tough generally benefit from that advantage, they tend to:

• enjoy better well-being

• be more optimistic

• achieve more

• they even earn more money

The Mentally Sensitive, on the other hand, find the road through life and work more challenging, and they tend to feel every bump in the road and the consequences that those bring. Nevertheless, there are many people that are Mentally Sensitive who are successful and achieve great things.

The key is to find the right balance of Mental Toughness and Sensitivity, depending on a person's role and their situation and become SELF-AWARE, so that they can utilize their cluster of qualities correctly. To do this, one need to be self-aware about who they are and why they think about things in a particular way.

Self-awareness, reflection and focused development are important for all, the Mentally Tough and the Mentally Sensitive.

So, how do we become more Mentally tough? The first step is the understand the 4 Cs of Mental Toughness.

What are the 4 Cs of Mental Toughness?

1. Challenge-Describes how individuals react mentally to dealing with challenges, opportunities, new experiences and unforeseen events.  This also describes the extent an individual will push their boundaries, embrace change and accept risk, as well as how they see all outcomes, do they interpret them as good or bad, and how open they are to taking feedback and learning lessons from previous failures and successes.

2. Control-Describes the extent to which a person feels they are in control of their life. Some individuals believe that they can exert considerable influence over their working environment, that they can make a difference and change things. In contrast, others feel that the outcome of events is outside their personal control and they are unable to exert any influence over themselves or others. Describes having a sense of self-worth and describes the extent that a person can control the display of their emotions (an aspect of emotional IQ).

3. Commitment-This measures the extent to which an individual is likely to persist with a goal or work task. Individuals differ in the degree with which they remain focused on their goals. Some may be easily distracted, bored or divert their attention to competing goals, whereas, others may be more likely to persist.

4. Confidence- Describes the self-belief that a person has in their own abilities and the interpersonal confidence they possess to influence others and deal with conflict and challenging situations. Individuals high in confidence have the self-belief to successfully complete tasks that may be considered too difficult by individuals with similar abilities but lower confidence.

What’s the research finding?

Better Performance in school and work

Mentally Tough individuals perform more effectively in quality of work and the volume that they can complete. Several studies are supporting the findings that up to 25% of the variation in a young individual’s test performance can be explained by their mental toughness levels.

Exhibit more Positive Behaviors

Mentally Tough individuals adopt a “can do” attitude and engage in activities such as asking questions, engaging in discussion, and volunteering to do what is necessary to move project forward. They welcome change and see the positives where the Mentally Sensitive see the negatives and they are more likely to accept responsibility. 

Wellbeing

Mentally Tough individuals enjoy:

·      Improved attendance/reduced absenteeism

·      Reductions in reported bullying

·      Sleeping better

·      Being able to put setbacks into perspective and recover more quickly

·      Dealing with adversity and difficult days

Aspirations

Mental Toughness is positively correlated with higher career aspirations in general.

Employability

There is a clear relationship between an individual’s MT and their ability to both get a job and to get the job they want.

FIND OUT HOW MENTALLY TOUGH YOU ARE- If you are interested in testing your Mental Toughness levels or getting someone you know tested, please connect and schedule a call with Shannon at the below link.

https://mentallytoughedge.com/#calendar-2h2Q77URil

With a great mindset, comes great results!