9 Tips to Mental Toughness

It takes more than visualization, self-talk, relaxation concentration to be real winner in life. (If it were easy, right? am leaner, energized, and have great body. Plus I make million dollars year working only hours week. POOF!) It takes kind of strength through mental toughness that a few people understand.

But once you DO understand it, you can master yourself and how you respond to ANYTHING that comes your way. Remember, too, that YOU ARE GREATER THAN ANYTHING THAT CAN HAPPEN TO YOU.

You do not have to be born with mental toughness. Mental toughness is a transferable trait. You don't have to go through a trial by fire to experience it. Life will give you what you ask for. But once you ask, Life sets you to task. You will be challenged, many times a day to keep moving forward and reach your goal.

Here are some action tips for you to gain more mental toughness in EVERYTHING you do.

1. Listen to the experts.

Read biographies and listen to audio programs telling of winners who have overcome tremendous obstacles and setbacks to become successful. Check out success stories in magazines and the Internet - fitness, money, or otherwise - you'll find they are people JUST LIKE YOU. So if they can do it, WHY THE HELL CAN'T YOU?

2. No pain, no gain vs. Patience, pacing, and persistence.

You don't need to go through emotional or physical pain to succeed. This is a myth. When you realize that failure and handicaps have NOT prevented winners in any area of life, you gain more confidence and courage to pursue your own dreams.

But you don't need to "come from behind" to get ahead. Learn from the trial and error of others, and expect a lot of yourself. Not a pipedream, but expect a lot, and expect to get it. It can be easy to overtrain, overcommit, and overwork if your expectations are too much. GO WITH THE FLOW. Success WILL come; understand it may take months instead of days.

3. "What next?" thinking.

Give yourself solution-oriented feedback when solving your problems. Don't dwell on what went wrong. What are you going to do about it? Spend your energy on moving forward, finding an answer. Journaling helps here.

What did you accomplish today? What went well? What can you do better? How do I feel about my progress? Are my goals making me reach, or am I just going through the motions? Am I focused? Are my goals MY OWN?

4. Get comfortable with the unfamiliar.

Make it a part of your daily routine to do something totally different than what you normally do. Work out at a different gym. Put your TV in the closet for a month. Drive to work using a different route. Change workout routines regularly. You'll be better prepared to handle diverse environments with greater calm and confidence.

5. THINK AND SPEAK WELL OF YOUR HEALTH.

Teach yourself and your children to use positive self-talk about fitness and personal health. Too much attention is paid to minor aches and pains, like there's value to not feeling good. We tend to make real what is the "main feature" of ourselves. What's YOUR "main feature"?

6. Don't be a victim of ads and fads.

Yes, the world is full of greedy people looking for a fast and easy way to put your money in their pockets. Make sure the thing that impresses you meets your criteria, and satisfies your concerns. Mental toughness doesn't mean going it alone, with lose-weight-fast or get-rich-quick schemes. Mental toughness means learning from the pros who have been there and done that.

7. Hang out with people who have already achieved their goals or who are   dedicated to goals similar to yours.

Avoid associating with people who have the same unresolved problems or who are frustrated by their lack of achievement. You know, the pity parties. "Oh, woe is me. My life is in an upheaval. How about you?" "You poor thing. Woe is me, too. I feel terrible about myself. How about you?"

Some people tend to thrive on the attention they get when they feel bad. A strong community of like-minded people gives you motivation, support, and purpose for succeeding.

8. Focus on desired results.

Pure and simple: winners dwell on the rewards of success. Losers focus on mistakes and failure. Do what's necessary NOW. Be in the present. Then you don't have to worry about what happened yesterday or what's going to happen tomorrow. Thus, two-thirds of your worries disappear.

9. Expect the unexpected.

You can't control what nature and others do. You can anticipate what MAY happen, and prepare for them as best you can. You can also control your response to what happens.

10 Secrets To Success

Investor's Business Daily has spent years analyzing leaders and successful people in all walks of life. Most have 10 traits that, when combined, can turn dreams into reality. Each day, we highlight one.

1. HOW YOU THINK IS EVERYTHING: Always be positive. Think success, not failure. Beware of a negative environment.

2. DECIDE UPON YOUR TRUE DREAMS AND GOALS: Write down your specific goals and develop a plan to reach them.

3. TAKE ACTION: Goals are nothing without action. Don't be afraid to get started. Just do it.

4. NEVER STOP LEARNING: Go back to school or read books. Get training and acquire skills.

5. BE PERSISTENT AND WORK HARD: Success is a marathon, not a sprint. Never give up.

6. LEARN TO ANALYZE DETAILS: Get all the facts, all the input. Learn from your mistakes.

7. FOCUS YOUR TIME AND MONEY: Don't let other people or things distract you.

8. DON'T BE AFRAID TO INNOVATE; BE DIFFERENT: Following the herd is a sure way to mediocrity.

9. DEAL AND COMMUNICATE WITH PEOPLE EFFECTIVELY: No person is an island. Learn to understand and motivate others.

10. BE HONEST AND DEPENDABLE; TAKE RESPONSIBILITY: Otherwise, Nos. 1-9 won't matter.

Creating Your Millionaire Mind

I would like to share something with you… a life-changing secret.

Let this “sink in” for your benefit and also for the benefit of those you wish to pass this wisdom-of-life on to.

You can… and WILL… have a “millionaire mind” if you live by the following truths:

* You become what you truly believe about yourself;

*In life, if you put forth a poor effort you get nothing. You lose your job, your marriage doesn’t become fruitful, you get nothing in the Olympics, or worse.

*If you put forth good (average) effort, you get poor results. That is why s-o-o-o many good people get so little. They lose jobs, they’re broke, etc.

*If you put forth excellent effort, you get good results. You will get a silver medal in the game of life… in love, finance, your spirituality and more.

*Now, if you want all the rewards life has to offer, You MUST be outstanding. If you are outstanding… to stand out… you will get it all!! You will get the gold medal.

*You must believe that you are outstanding and have a millionaire mind.

Anyone can judge their own life. It’s easy. Just take a good look at where your life is at this moment. Life is rigidly fair. If we want more, then we must be prepared to give more… to reach inside and find the faith and strength to take it to the next level.

Two people get up in the morning; the sun is shining, and there is a nice, warm and gentle breeze blowing on their faces. The birds are signing a beautiful song. One person steps outside and says, “aahhhhh, what a nice day!” And that same person thinks, “I’m going to make a difference today!” And you know what? They do make a difference.

The second person steps outside and says, “Ah sure… it’s nice out, and I have to work.” And that person thinks, “This stinks… to hell with it, I’ll just call in sick.”

You see, life handed these two people the same thing, but only one person came out a winner. We are all creating our lives everyday whether positive or negative. We program our minds to be productive and we double our talents… or… we program our minds to complain, and we live a dull life. We get what we create inside our minds.

Now, here’s a tip: Decide what it is you want - anything. Ask yourself, “What do I want, and why do I want this result? What MUST I do to get it?” The words “why” and “must” are key. It’s not “what should I do?” It’s “What MUST I do?” Once you know the answers to these two questions, you will have no excuse when you do nothing to achieve the desired result.

We can all raise the bar. Life will give you what you want if you believe and raise the bar for yourself. You must believe. You must see the result, and you must become outstanding at achieving it.

Remember, outstanding people get all the rewards!! Life will give it all to you at the level of “outstanding.” Nothing less will do if you want all the rewards.

What do you want in life… in work… in religion… in sports… in relationships… in whatever? WHY do you want these things and What MUST you do to get it?

If God gives you another day, what will you do with what He has given you? Make it outstanding!

You must believe in your dreams, and you must see and feel yourself already living the life you truly desire. And, or course, if you strive to be outstanding in all that you do, you will live a rewarding life and achieve a millionaire mind.