Tip Clip #6 - How to Develop Mental Toughness

Life certainly does dish up plenty of adversity. An interesting thing about that - it can beat you down and unravel you, or it can make you mentally tough. The good news is, you can make that call. You can choose how to react.

As a young man, I had plenty of mental toughness learning opportunities. My freshman year at West Point was so stressful that over 100 of my classmates dropped out. The rest of us learned mental toughness. After graduation came the Army Ranger School, command of an air defense battery on a snowy hill in Germany, and a year of combat operations in Vietnam.

I've given a lot of thought to these experiences, and to mental toughness. One conclusion: whether you're a boss, a parent, a coach, a soldier, a nurse, a fireman - anyone who has to deal with emergencies, calamities, unexpected problems or stressful situations - you'll need mental toughness.

How can you get more mental toughness? In this brief video, I share the one thing that I feel is the key to developing this important aspect of personal strength...



By the way, this may be my last Tip Clip video for a while, maybe for good. I really have enjoyed making them, mainly because I love learning experiences and video is an engaging medium. But I'm first and foremost a writer, and I've decided that I'll be more productive if I stick to my knitting. Focus!

If you think you missed any of these gems, you can check all eight Tip Clip videos here.

My friend and business partner, Meredith Bell, also has two excellent videos about composure...

John Wooden on Managing Your Emotions

Composure - Control Your Emotions in Stressful Situations

Post by Dennis E. Coates, Ph.D., Copyright 2010. Building Personal Strength .