Mindset and Mental Strenght From One Human to Another
In high-performance professions, a person’s raw physical ability or talent rarely prevents them from achieving their best. More likely than not, what is between the ears separates these individuals. The mind is both your strength and weakness; it is what will allow you to rise to a challenge but also scream for you to run away.
Today’s blog is all about the tools and resources that I have used to help develop my mental strength and allow me to continue working towards my goals.
First, I would like you to reflect on how many hours you spent studying in school, spent at practice, or in the gym training. You spend several hours a week and several a day working on various aspects of your performance if you’re like me. Whether you’re reading new literature to deepen your knowledge for pounding out a hard workout, you are actively working on different aspects of yourself.
However, how much of that time do you spend working on your mind?
Like your body, you must adequately stimulate your mind to improve your weakness.
The three best tools for the job were reading, writing, and reflecting.
Reading
Every day, take 10-15 minutes to read. The goal is not to read as much as you can but to read every day. It will become a part of your routine and allow you to slowly absorb the teachings from these books!
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Tribal Leadership by Dave Logan, Halee Fischer-Wright, and John King
Tribal Leadership describes the different levels of how teams and individuals work together. From a mindset perspective, it can help you reflect where you exist on the spectrum of growth and utilize different tools to improve!
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The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday
This book was instrumental in introducing me to Stoic Philosophy. The stoics hold many tools to help reframe your perspectives and allow you to truly accelerate your improvement.
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Ego is The Enemy by Ryan Holiday
It’s hard to try and develop when you think there is nothing else to learn. Your Ego truly is the only enemy you have in life: success and failure. The Ego will prevent you from attaining your best self if not kept in check!
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Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
Meditations is Marcus Aurelius’s daily attempts, struggles, and successes in his activities. Not intently written to be read, but as a place for him to reflect on his stoic practices. It contains insight into his struggles and our own problems as well.
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The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday
I am a fan of Ryan Holiday’s work if it isn’t evident. The Daily Stoic is perfect for those short on time, but this to make a meaningful impact. A daily quote and a breakdown are sometimes all that is needed to generate the spark of change.
Writing and Reflecting
- Take time every day in the morning and evening to write your thoughts and feelings.
This is my anchor for the day that I can always return to for a place where I can write my thoughts out and be critical of them. This allows me to be critical of something physical and on paper instead of having thoughts about thoughts (That’s all worrying about problems is if you think about it). I can also return to previous entries when I encounter issues I have experienced in the past.
Moreover, this is a time when I can be mindful and present at the moment. Writing takes longer than simply typing it onto a computer and can be pretty relaxing.
- Keep a small notebook to write down problems you encounter in the day or when you need to think objectively of something.
I see it as the smoke break of the stoics; however, it’s a much healthier habit! Having access to a notebook it’s almost like having another person to talk to at all times and can allow you to come back to a problem later without forgetting it!
Summary
We spend so much time worrying about how much weight to lift, doing more mobility, and prehab that we never consider what we’re doing with the organ between the ears.
“The raw material for the work of a good and excellent person is their own guiding reason, the body that of the doctor and the physical trainer, and the farm the farmer’s.” – Epictetus, Discourses, 3.3.1
Regardless of your profession, education, or goals, a well-built mind will serve you well.
Troy Wilson, Wilson Kinetic Health, BScKinH, MScKin, PKin, Team Canada Athlete, RockTape Ambassador.