Becoming Mentally Tough

"Believing that the circumstances around him are stronger than the power within him, a man is defeated before the race is run." -Raymond Holliwell

What is mental toughness? How do we achieve it? Mental toughness is the process whereby we attain the ability to focus on the thoughts we desire rather than becoming distracted by events in our environment that we cannot control. Sound impossible? Well, fear not. Mental toughness is a skill, and like any skill, it can be developed.

When we think about developing a new physical skill, most of us understand that we are not going to be proficient at that skill immediately. Say you want to play the piano; you schedule a lesson and begin learning how to play. You wouldn't expect to be able to play a piece by Chopin within a few weeks of your first lesson.

We all have an understanding of the way physical skills are developed. We learn the basics, we practice the basics, and we become proficient at the basics. Once we have the basics mastered, we begin adding additional aspects slowly until we are able to perform advanced skills easily. Eventually, we don't have to think about every little muscle movement required to produce our intended outcomes.

Once subconscious action easily follows intention we have achieved muscle memory. We can then play a complex piece of music. Through focused practice, we develop confidence in our ability to place our fingers where they need to be to play the music. But, does having this skill allow us to perform flawlessly in front of an audience? Does the audience itself affect performance? Would we confidently play a sophisticated piece for a high school music class and yet struggle with the same arrangement before an audience of the world's top musicians?

Why is it so easy for some to perform flawlessly in any environment and so difficult for others? People who learn to play the piano attain varying levels of accomplishment. Some will play simple pieces for their own enjoyment. Some will play in social situations such as an accompanist to vocalists in schools or churches. Some may play keyboards in a band. Only a few will move to the elite level of a concert pianist. What is the difference in these levels of accomplishment? Quite simply, it is passion. This passion will ultimately drive the amount of practice and sacrifice required to reach the highest level of ability. Passion will motivate the student to conquer obstacles to achieve the highest goal. Passion will encourage the pursuit of knowledge to obtain the skills needed to perform at the elite level.

The thing most people don't consider when conceptualizing top athletes are the mental skills that were developed along with the physical abilities that allow them to be at the top. They have not just accomplished a task; they have attained a different state of being from the average person with a casual interest.

So, if mental toughness is a skill, necessary to perform at the peak of our abilities, where do we go to learn how to get better at it? Countless books describe the physical training, equipment, and horse power needed for a barrel racer to perform at the top, but few, if any, address developing and managing mental skills to enhance barrel racing performance at the highest level. Many athletes have the physical skills, equipment, and means to be among the elite but fail to perform at the best of their abilities under pressure. Why? Performance anxiety has prematurely stunted or halted the careers of many athletes. When their heads get in the way of their minds, the result is frustration and self-defeating behaviors.

In this book, I will refer to your "head" in the context of the analytical, black and white process we typically use to judge things as good or bad according to a set of acquired beliefs such as winning is a good thing and losing is a bad thing. Therefore, if I win I am good, if I lose, I am bad. Conversely, I will use the term "mind" to denote the effortless unconscious flow of action that does not require analysis to perform. An example would be moving your arm to open the refrigerator door when you intend to have some milk. Your brain fires the correct number of muscle fibers with the correct force to pull the door open simply by intending it to be so.

In his book, "With Winning in Mind," Olympic gold medalist Lanny Bassham credits a balanced "triad state" as the most influential factor in his training and attainment of Olympic gold. The triad state he is referring to is the interconnection of the conscious, the subconscious, and the self-image. Bassham emphasizes both training and competition strategies that build this balanced state and believes they are crucial for the elite athlete to achieve and maintain top performance.

When development in all three areas is constructed equally, harmony exists. When there is no conflict between the conscious thinking brain, the subconscious and the self-image elite skill mastery is possible. Action simply follows intention and automation is the result. Imbalance existing among any component of the triad state will cause an athlete to fall short of the success that is possible. The steps to achieve this balanced development will become more evident as we dig deeper into the chapters that follow.

Becoming mentally tough is a simple process, but simple does not mean easy. If it were easy, everyone would do it. In each new endeavor, there is a learning curve. This curve consists of a series of attempts and failures as the brain processes what works and doesn't work for the desired outcome. These attempts and failures are necessary! The brain must have the contrast of failure to understand and develop the correct action needed to move the skill to the subconscious, automatic level.

When learning to walk, a toddler first pulls himself up to a piece of furniture. He practices letting go momentarily. He tilts one way and then the other, grasping the furniture as he makes over-corrections (failures). His brain is learning by failure where to correct the posture...