You can but it’s not always necessary to improve well-being and performance. So, what does that mean?
This is probably the most common question we get asked. It is understandable up to a point. People often assume that if there is an important attribute then you should always strive to have more of it.
In sports, we often want to go faster, be stronger, and so on.
The mental toughness concept brings an important dimension to our understanding of how people can optimise their well-being and what they can achieve.
Mental Toughness is a personality trait that describes how we respond mentally to adversity, setbacks, challenges and opportunities. It explains “how we think” when an event occurs. Fundamentally important, this helps us to understand “why we act the way we do” – that is our behaviours.
It consists of 8 independent factors; each is a scale with mental toughness at one end and mental sensitivity at the other.
Importantly, this does not mean “good” and “bad” or “strong” or “weak”. It is simply a description of the way you respond to events – who you are.
In many situations, an above-average level of mental toughness can be an advantage. But it can also be a disadvantage. This is true of mental sensitivity too!
What is crucially important is that we are self-aware about our unique mental toughness profile that for most of us, contains elements of both.
That profile might work for us in some situations and not in others. It does not mean we have to change. What is needed is understanding what it is about the mental approach that works for us and does not work for us.
If we get that, we can adopt strategies to minimise any negative consequences without having to change who we are. If we are content with ourselves and our mental sensitivity brings advantages, then that works most of the time.
Of course, for some, there might be an imperative to develop their mental toughness. That is fine and it is achievable. After all, a significant proportion of our mental toughness is learned through our experiences. Again, self-awareness matters. All development activities can work but they do not always work for everyone. Often because they are directed at the wrong target.
As the great Jim Loehr puts it – “We can be the best version of ourselves that we can be”.
We are who we are. The trick is to optimise that. That does not always mean we need to change. We do need to understand who we are though.
That is now possible for this important personality trait through understanding the concept and applying the MTQPlus psychometric.
