You left your father’s body along with over 300 million fellow sperm cells. Yet only around 2 million of you persistent swimmers actually reached your mother’s cervix. Of the 2 million sperm that entered the cervix, around 1 million actually made it to the uterus. And, of the 1 million sperm that reach the uterus, only about 10,000 made it to the top of the uterus. Of the 10,000 sperm that made it to that point, around half of them actually went in the right direction heading to the egg cell. Of the nearly 5,000 sperm that made it into the utero-tubal junction, around 1,000 of them reached the inside of the Fallopian tube. Of those 1,000 sperm, only around 200 actually reached the egg. In the end, you were the lucky sperm out of this group of 200 to actually penetrate and fertilizes the egg! Oh! by the way, less than 15% of fertilized eggs survive to become a birthed human.
One of the most important events in life is the process of conception. Not every egg is fertilized and not every fertilized egg successfully becomes a birthed human. You started life as a success story. And I for one believe in you. So, you may as well believe in you too.
Positive thoughts and words have a profound effect on the brain. Negativity drains you. A study by Yale University found that people who had been told they were “stupid” showed a 10% reduction in activity in their prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain responsible for reasoning and understanding. Another study from UC Berkeley found that when people are told they are smart, their brains release dopamine, which makes them feel good about themselves. These findings show how important it is to think positive thoughts and use positive words in order to change your brain activity for the better. We often talk about the power of positive thinking, but it’s not just thinking that has an impact on the brain. Beliefs are powerful things and they can shape our brains in a number of ways. Beliefs are what we tell ourselves to be true - and they can shape our brains in a number of ways. They can change how our neurons fire and how we think which in turn will change what we do. And, as a result, beliefs can have a significant impact on our lives. The more you believe something is true, the more likely it is that you will behave accordingly. This means that if you believe that you are going to succeed in the future, then your brain will actually help make that happen by changing your thoughts and behaviors so that success might be possible. The Power of Mental Toughness For a whole host of reasons, we either lose sight of the fact that we are born winners or we never become aware of it. So, we must develop the tools to consistently live up to our full potential. Chief among these tools is mental toughness. Mental toughness is an attitude of being honest with ourselves and making difficult decisions when they need to be made, without excuses or self-recriminations. It is having the ability to do what is necessary, even if it's not what we feel like doing it or whether it may be difficult. It is an individual's ability to maintain a positive attitude and disposition despite difficulty or stress. And it is a skill that can be learned through training and practice.
For a whole host of reasons, we either lose sight of the fact that we are born winners or we never become aware of it. So, we must develop the tools to consistently live up to our full potential. Chief among these tools is mental toughness.
Mental toughness is an attitude of being honest with ourselves and making difficult decisions when they need to be made, without excuses or self-recriminations. It is having the ability to do what is necessary, even if it’s not what we feel like doing it or whether it may be difficult. It is an individual’s ability to maintain a positive attitude and disposition despite difficulty or stress. And it is a skill that can be learned through training and practice.
For the West Point army cadets being mentally tough meant finishing an entire summer of Beast Barracks.
For you, it might be…
going one month without missing a workout
going one week without eating processed or packaged food
delivering your work ahead of schedule for two days in a row
meditating every morning this week
grinding out one extra rep on each set at the gym today
spending one hour doing something creative every evening this week
Whatever it is, be specific about when you want to achieve it. Mental toughness is not only an abstract quality but you have to take concrete actions that you can prove to yourself. You can’t just think your way to becoming mentally tough, you have to make sure that your idea proves itself with tangible results
“You can’t become committed or consistent with a weak mind. How many workouts have you missed because your mind, not your body, told you you were tired? How many reps have you missed out on because your mind said, “Nine reps is enough. Don’t worry about the tenth.” Probably thousands for most people, including myself. And 99% are due to weakness of the mind, not the body.”
—Drew Shamrock
The thing is that mental toughness isn’t only about how a person handles the most drastic situations in life. Like, how did you do in the championship game? Or, can you keep your life together while grieving the death of a family member? Did you bounce back after your business went bankrupt?
It is true that when faced with extreme situations that we test our true courage, stamina, and mental fortitude. But what about our everyday life?
Mental toughness is like muscle memory. It needs to be worked and developed. If you haven’t challenged yourself on a small scale, of course you’ll buckle when the going gets tough.
But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Choose to do the tenth rep when it would be easier to just quit. Choose to create when it would be easier to consume. Choose to ask the extra question when it would be easier to accept. Prove to yourself — in a thousand tiny ways — that you have enough guts to get in the ring and do battle with life.
Mental toughness is built through small wins. It’s the individual choices that we make on a daily basis that build our “mental toughness muscle.” We all want mental strength, but you can’t think your way to it. It’s your physical actions that prove your mental fortitude.
Motivation is fickle. Willpower comes and goes.
Mental toughness isn’t about getting an incredible dose of inspiration or courage. It’s about building the daily habits that allow you to stick to a schedule and overcome challenges and distractions over and over and over again.
Mentally tough people don’t have to be more courageous, more talented, or more intelligent — just more consistent. Mentally tough people develop systems that help them focus on the important stuff regardless of how many obstacles life puts in front of them. It’s their habits that form the foundation of their mental beliefs and ultimately set them apart.
I’ve written about this many times before. Here are the basic steps for building a new habit and links to further information on doing each step.
Focus on small behaviors, not life–changing transformations.
Develop a routine that gets you going regardless of how motivated you feel.
Mental toughness comes down to your habits. It’s about doing the things you know you’re supposed to do on a more consistent basis. It’s about your dedication to daily practice and your ability to stick to a schedule.
Successful people are those who have a winning attitude. They set themselves goals and work hard to achieve them. They also have the ability to learn from their mistakes and use that knowledge as a stepping stone for future success.
We are all born with the potential for success, but not everyone is willing to take the necessary steps to reach it. Successful people know what they want and go after it with everything they have.
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