The secret to a successful and happy life is your ability to get up when life knocks you down.
This is the theory proposed by Scott Mautz, a motivational speaker and former Proctor and Gamble executive, who recently wrote a book saying that the most successful people are the most mentally strong: those who can regulate emotions and control their thoughts and behaviors. .
Mautz has spent three decades researching how leaders become mentally tough and determined that it relies on six core factors: confidence, toughness, boldness, decision making, goal focus and messaging.
Along with these factors, Mautz said there are six phrases you can say to yourself every day that will bolster your mental toughness — strengthening your subconscious like a weightlifter by adding more reps each day — and prepare you to take on challenges.
Mentally strong people are united by six common factors: confidence, strength, boldness, decision making, goal focus and messaging, Mautz said.
Mental toughness involves controlling emotions, thoughts and behaviors in both positive and negative situations, Mautz said.
To begin with, if you lack confidence, Mr. Mautz wrote to CNBC that mentally strong people regularly use the phrase “I am enough.”
Trust can be elusive. However, it is well established that people who report high levels of self-confidence tend to achieve better results, professionally and personally, than people without confidence, according to the Learning and Performance Institute.
Secure people earned on average $28,000 more per year compared to less secure people. a 2008 study which included data from more than 12,000 men found.
Instead of looking at any differences or weaknesses you perceive yourself to have, start believing that what makes you unique can actually drive your success.
Mr Mautz wrote: ‘The only comparison you can make that is really relevant is between who you are today and who you were yesterday. The only truly important question is whether you are growing or not.
Fortitude, a measure of how well you are able to endure pain or adversity, is the second pillar of mentally strong leaders. The phrase that Mr. Mautz recommends using in difficult situations to increase strength is: “What possibilities does this setback present?”
Reframing a setback as an opportunity can help trick your brain into solving a problem, even when it would be easier to accept defeat.
For example, if your boss reprimanded you for missing a deadline, you might naturally feel upset. However, you can see conflicts of this type as a potential for learning: learning what not to do in the future can improve your performance as a worker overall.
Mentally strong people start from the understanding that “they are enough.” Studies have shown that people with a secure mindset make more money than their less secure counterparts.
Mental toughness, the ability to tolerate uncomfortable or disturbing situations, is the cornerstone of mentally strong people.
After resilience, Mautz said mentally strong people have a bold streak. The phrase that best embodies this is: ‘Am I allowing myself to dream big?’
If the answer to that question is no, then you might consider allowing yourself to think more ambitiously: setting professional or personal goals for five or ten more years.
Believing that ambitious goals are achievable is the crucial first step toward achieving them, Mr. Mautz said.
“You have to believe that you have the right to dream big, that great things can happen to people like you,” the CNBC contributor wrote.
Next, he recommended honing your decision-making skills. To succeed in this category, mentally strong people often ask themselves, “What is the cost of indecision?” – or not make any decision.
Indecision can be a sign of underlying problems, such as low self-esteem, fear of failure or anxiety, according to psychologists Drs. Martin Self and Sally Winstonwho run private practices in Connecticut and Maryland, respectively.
The moment you overthink a decision, you can miss opportunities, get caught in a bad situation, fall behind your peers, and disappoint loved ones, wrote Drs. Self and Winston.
Having trouble making decisions can make you less successful in your work or personal life, and can make you less resilient to challenges that arise in either environment.
Keeping these things in mind can help you remember that efficient decision-making is important and can help you avoid getting bogged down in details that lead to indecision.
Reminding yourself that indecision also has risks can help you make better decisions and increase your mental toughness.
Focusing on the things you can control helps you dedicate your energy to the problems that require your energy.
Next, Mautz said that mentally strong people have a realistic view of what they can and cannot control.
Spending valuable mental energy worrying about factors beyond your control distracts you from devoting your full potential to the task at hand.
To strengthen this personality trait, you can ask yourself, ‘Am I controlling the controllable?’
For example, worrying about the weather for an upcoming event you planned is not fruitful because you can’t control what Mother Nature will decide to do.
But you can make sure to take other factors into account, such as ordering umbrellas or fans, so you’re prepared for whatever comes your way.
Finally, the last phrase Mr. Mautz recommended allows you to reframe arduous daily tasks as things you are grateful for. If you tell yourself, “I don’t have to do this; I can do this,” you can help work toward greater mental strength.
“This rephrasing of a single word unlocks gratitude, leaving you feeling re-energized when the duties of your job are draining you,” Mautz wrote for CNBC.
When you feel more positive about the tasks you are given, you are more likely to undertake them with enthusiasm and execute them effectively.