When you set challenging goals for yourself to get what you really want you will need to have a level of resilience that keeps pushing you forward whatever obstacles you meet along the way. It is inevitable that you will have to overcome challenges and you do not want to give up when the going gets tough.
So you need to develop a mental toughness that will see you through the difficult times. There are so many different things that can throw you off track when you are trying to achieve your goals. You may face a lot of negativity from people that you know and trust and if you are not mentally tough they can persuade you to give up for example.
So what traits do you need to develop for mental toughness?
Make a Start
All successful people make a start. They do not wait around for something to happen or others to do something. When they have new ideas they get started immediately. If you need to wait for someone to get back to you about something then work on other areas of your goal.
So just be a self starter. This is a problem for a lot of people because they have been told what to do their entire life. You just need to practice starting on things right away. After a while this will become second nature to you.
You need to Prioritize
Once you really get into your goals then you will probably find that your daily “to do” list grows pretty long. You need to prioritize which tasks to perform first. We recommend starting with a simple task first to build momentum. Then tackle any task that you know is going to stress you out next.
Focus is essential
Are you easily distracted? If you get a notification on your phone do you tend to drop everything and attend to it? You want to identify the things that distract you and keep them out of sight when you are working on your goals. The ability to focus is a great mental toughness trait.
Sometimes things happen in life and you have no choice but to attend to them. When you get back to your tasks you need to be able to refocus again quickly to get everything done. With some practice you will easily develop this trait so keep at it.
You need to be Persistent
All of the traits are important but this one is top of the list. Persistence will keep you going when you don’t want to carry on. It will also prevent you from giving up when you feel that all is lost. So the next time you feel like procrastinating or giving up altogether call on your persistence to see the job through.
You need to Review how you are doing
Take a regular look at where your actions are taking you. It is utterly pointless to take massive action that doesn’t get you anywhere. If something is not working then work out why and change your approach. Don’t just assume that everything that you do is moving you closer to achieving your goals.
Get Organized
Don’t just put important things anywhere. If your computer is a mess then organize files into folders so that you know where to find them when you need them. The same applies to documents in your home. Spending time trying to find stuff is very frustrating and can seriously hamper your progress.