Michael Jordan missed 26 game-winning shots.
In 1986, sports psychologist James Loehr began to popularize the idea of mental toughness in sports. This toughness---made up of a combination of determination, focus, confidence, courage, resilience and poise---allows an athlete to perform his best in high-pressure competitive situations. By learning to develop mental toughness, you'll gain an edge over your components and increase your chances of success in all areas of life, not just the sports arena.
Instructions
1. Affirm yourself. Engage in an ongoing, positive inner dialog, reminding yourself of your goals and your ability to achieve them.
2. Surround yourself with positive people. Encourage your friends and teammates in their achievements, and expect the same thing from them. You may consider asking a personal trainer, coach or teammate to hold you accountable for pushing yourself physically and mentally. Be honest with them about both your successes and failures.
3. Mark your progress. Keep a record of your race times, game scores and other achievements and look over them when you are tempted to feel discouraged.
4. Form a routine that helps you get "in the zone" before a competition. Experiment with what things help you achieve the mental and emotional state you need to be in to perform your best. Then, once you begin the competition, commit to giving it everything you have.
5. Learn to recover quickly from mistakes. Many athletes freeze up and lose their confidence after something unexpected happens. Be prepared for these moments by developing plans for rebound quickly when you miss a shot, lose time in a race or get slowed by an old injury.
6. Push yourself. Regardless of what sport you play, you'll need to add challenging workouts to your training routine every couple weeks to keep yourself mentally tough. Try not to plan these modifications. Let yourself get caught up in the high of your workout and spontaneously decide to go further, run faster or lift more than you normally would.
7. Prepare thoroughly for every competition. By taking plenty of time to think through and prepare for the big day in advance, you'll be able to focus 100 percent on calming your nerves and developing the right mindset.
8. See a sports psychologist. Many athletes who sustain a traumatic sports-related injury never recover to the level they were at before the injury. This does not have to be the case. Work with a sports psychologist to help overcome injuries and other mental obstacles you can't seem to conquer on your own.
9. See failure as a stepping stone. In his article "What is Mental Toughness and Develop It?" David Yukelson, Coordinator of Sports Psychology Services at Penn State University, points out that Michael Jordan missed 26 game-winning shots and lost 300 games. By learning to see your failures as an opportunity to succeed, you'll recover quickly from disappointment.
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