Mental Toughness
Mental Toughness
Why Is Mental Toughness Important?
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Mental Toughness
The 4C’s Of Mental Toughness.
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Mental Toughness
Commitment
How committed are you on achieving your goal? Are you able to remain
focused on the task at hand in order to achieve the goal that you have set
yourself for the future?
High Scorers
Will be able to handle and achieve things even if they look hard. Athletes high
on commitment strive to win, but also strive to achieve their personal best.
They are making a promise to themselves.
Low Scorers
Will not like competition and pressure and may even be frightened of it. In
sport, the athlete won’t put the practice in to be the best they can be. They
will be late for training, forget equipment and be uninterested in striving for
personal bests.
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Mental Toughness
• I like making promises and setting goals.
• I don’t let myself get easily distracted.
• I don’t get bored with a project or a piece of work.
• I don’t pull attention away from a task to stop people from asking
questions.
• I like competition and pressure.
• I like testing myself and proving to others that I can do something.
• I will work hard out of work time to be the best I can be.
• I enjoy gaining further skills and knowledge because it’s a way I can improve.
• I prioritise different tasks and projects so that I know what needs to be given
more attention.
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Mental Toughness
Control
How in control do you feel of what’s going on around you? How in control
of your emotions are you?
Life control
Is about whether you believe you make an impact on what goes on around
you.
It is a measure of self-esteem.
Emotional control
Is about how good you are at managing your emotions in front of others.
Are you somebody who when you get annoyed, shows it to others by
shouting and being rude or can you keep your cool?
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Mental Toughness
Life Control
High scorers
Are more likely to believe they control what happens to them. They believe
they can achieve anything if they want to. They feel that their involvement
in tasks will make a difference. In sport, athletes high on this scale will
want to be part of a team because they believe it is them that can make a
difference to that team. They feel responsible for making the team the best
they can be.
Low Scorers
Are less likely to believe they control what happens to them and what goes
on around them. They tend to panic when they’re given another project or
task to work on. If an athlete fails to win a competition or doesn’t hit their
personal best, they are likely to give up because they believe it isn’t
achievable. They won’t be motivated to work hard for it in the future.
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Mental Toughness
• I like to work on more than one job at a time.
• I will have a go at most things because I believe I can learn something
from it.
• I feel comfortable making decisions for myself or a group.
• I don’t need supervision from other people.
• I am well organised. I arrive on time and have everything I need for a
project.
• If a project or task gets difficult I work hard to get through it.
• I feel I can make a difference by involving myself in a project or task.
• I am good at managing my time.
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Mental Toughness
Emotional Control
High Scorers
Are better able to control their emotions and less likely to show their
emotions to others. This means other people are less able to take
advantage of them. In sport being able to look calm can be a big
advantage. It means your opposition is less able to manipulate you. To be
the best, you need to remain calm regardless of how you’re feeling inside.
Low Scorers
Easily show their emotions to others when they feel upset or annoyed. In
sport, some athletes lose their composure after they make a mistake,
someone on their team makes a mistake, or the referee makes a bad
decision. To be the best, you must accept that you are going to make
mistakes and experience setbacks along the way.
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Mental Toughness
• I don't show a reaction if I am criticised by others.
• If a task doesn’t go as planned I stay calm and don't get annoyed at
others in the team.
• I don't let my annoyance show if others "have a go at me”.
• If I'm not performing as well as I should be at work, I don't get upset and
let others see it.
• If something goes wrong and it’s my fault I am happy to take
responsibility.
• If I make a mistake or fail at something I don’t think about it too much. I
move on.
• I usually believe I can do something when I’m given it.
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Mental Toughness
Challenge
Do you see challenge and pressure as an opportunity or a threat.
Competitions can be very challenging. Do you see the competition as an
opportunity to show people what you can do? Or do you see it as a threat
and try to avoid it?
High Scorers
People scoring high will look for challenging situations, because they see
them as an opportunity to learn more and be the best they can be. For
athletes, the challenge may not be just to win a competition, but to beat
their own personal best. They are always looking for ways to be better.
Low Scorers
People low on challenge will see change and challenge as a threat. They
fear it because it is something different. In sport, athletes that find
competitions threatening are less mentally prepared than their competitors
and are more likely to “choke” on the day.
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Mental Toughness
Challenge
• I thrive in competitive situations because I like to be challenged.
• I will take the lead in the team because I enjoy the responsibility of the
challenge.
• I will take part in a task even if I’m not very good at it.
• I ask questions so that I understand what’s expected of me.
• I feel relaxed with major competitions and training exercises.
• I feel pressured to achieve a target.
• If I’ve failed at something before, I believe I’ll be able to do it next time.
• I see competitions as an opportunity to “show off”.
• I try to appear positive if I’m asked to do something I don’t like or
something new.
• I look for opportunities to be the best.
• I put myself forward for projects.
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Mental Toughness
Confidence
Is about how much self-belief you have to complete tasks or projects.
Others with the same abilities but with lower confidence may think these
tasks are too difficult. This can be seen as a measure of self-efficacy.
Confidence in abilities
Confidence in abilities is about how much you believe you can achieve
something, how well you think you can do in a competition or when faced
with a challenge. It is about having a “can do” mind-set. If something goes
wrong do you think “I can still do this”?
Interpersonal Confidence
Interpersonal Confidence is about how comfortable you are at dealing with
others.
Do you feel comfortable working with very competitive types or do you feel
intimidated by them?
Are you prepared to assert yourself to others?
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Mental Toughness
Confidence In Abilities
High Scorers
Don’t need colleagues, friends or family to tell them they are doing well in their
apprenticeship, they “know” they are doing well. These people tend to be positive
about their work and life. In sport, athletes are coached to have a “can do” mindset to believe they can beat their competitors no matter what.
Low Scorers
Need to be told they are doing a good job by others. They don’t like being the
centre of attention or taking risks because they believe things are bound to go
wrong. Athletes will think their competitors are more able than they are even,
when they aren’t.
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Mental Toughness
• I like being the centre of attention
• I like to ask questions and don’t worry if it makes me look silly in front of others
• I like taking risks because it means I’ll probably make a mistake
• I am not scared of failure
• I am happy to have a go at most things
• I enjoy "showing off" my abilities in front of others
• I do well at most things
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Mental Toughness
Interpersonal Confidence
High scorers
Find it easy to talk to most people, even difficult people. They are less likely to let
others persuade them into doing something. In sport, athletes are likely to stand
their ground and do what they want to do rather than what their coach tells them
to do.
Low Scorers
Tend to feel uncomfortable when dealing with other people especially awkward
or very competitive people. Athletes can feel intimidated by other athletes who
are “cockier” than they are. They can also be easily influenced by the team to
skip training and not put the extra work in.
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Mental Toughness
• If someone has a different opinion to me I enjoy trying to change their mind
• When I’m in a discussion I tend to be one of the most talkative, even if I don’t
know a lot about the topic
• I deal well with assertive and competitive people
• When I’m challenged by others I tend to stand my ground
• I tend to influence others in my team quite easily
• I don’t worry about what other people think of me
• I enjoy asking questions about lots of different things
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Mental Toughness
Is Being Mentally Tough Always A Good Thing?
Commitment
Can over commit.
Can be unrealistic about what can be achieved.
Control - Emotional and Life
Can dive right into something.
Can appear uninterested in something .
Challenge
Get easily bored.
Take on too much risk.
Confidence
Believe your ability is far greater than your actual ability.
Stop others “getting a word in”.
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Mental Toughness
What Does This Tell You About You?
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Mental Toughness
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