I’ve been a participant of  the Swedish military long distance/cross country running team. I am also Swedish champion in cycling. I have been doing multisport, training both cross-fit and MMA/boxing, I’ve been climbing mountains in Africa, Europe, South America, Middle East among a lot of other challenging activities. So what will be my thought about the mental strength from my experience?

First of all, why even write about the topic? I think it is very important topic, that can have impact of all of our lives in different ways. As usual, I just want to point out that all you can read here is my experience and opinion from my own point of view…

One autumn day in Halmstad it was the Swedish championship for officers in cross country running. The track was a tough one, with some challenging hills. I was running, and during the race thinking about that “it all was a pity for me”. It was hard and tiring. At that moment I stopped my thinking. Rethinking, “but hey, I am doing this for the reason that I really enjoy running and I really like to compete”. At that moment the competition become something else. So what can we learn from this example? Your mind is crucial for your experience of the moment. You can decide how your experience can or should be…In all different ways. Hm. Read that sentence again, this is a very strong insight, isn’t it?

Ok, so now you got the understanding of the purpose, and the advantage of building and using a mental strength. But now over to the challenging question; but how? The mind(mental) is build up at the same way as the physical part of your body. Resistance gives strength. So here I will give you one suggestion of how you might can build up your mental strength. Every thought is important, ok, again: every thought is important-every thought will be important. So what and how do you think? Have you reflect of that?

Now into the hardware – or the Operating system. Our brain is built up for survival for the best way every time. So all thoughts , behaviors and emotions is something programmed by you. And we can probably agree on that no one has been born as perfect. So now you got the insight that you can reprogram yourself. But – still how? you might wonder with all right. Ok, so if you are ready to rewrite your code, here we go. So start with writing down three things that is good with you (and telling what you are, not your achievements) Now write down three thing you have done today that felt good. Now write down one thing you want to improve/changes tomorrow. Defined what you can/will do for reaching that.

Mental Toughness-what is that? This is an interesting question, the reason for that is interesting is that from my perspective it will be different for different persons. It can be describes as; The capacity to persistently pursue goals and remain determined, even when things are hard. It’s a mixture of emotional resilience, confidence, adaptability, boundary setting, and self-awareness. When you know how to understand and manage your emotions effectively, you can remain calm and focused, especially under pressure. What makes the difference between a elite athlete and a elite exerciser?

Beyond the obvious impossible. Most of us is programmed of thinking sensible, practical and standard. But people who change career or sail around the world or start a complete new interest, how do you think they thinking? They don’t see the obstacle or the problems. They know it will be problems and that they have to abandon parts and amenities. But they have the courage to see beyond the obvious impossible. So with the reprogramming of your mind, you will get a strengthen mind…

Would you question a workout because it’s hard? How does you respond to a adversity at your work, in your career or in your relations? How are you programmed?  As mention before your thought are important. Resistance means development – for becoming better and stronger (mentally particularly in this case) you need to train your brain/mind. Shift your perspective and look at resistance, obstacles as development. What you train, What you practice, you become good at.

What will you achieve? What do you want to achieve? Here it starts. So if you follow the routine about write down three good thing you have achieved every day, and what you want to improve, you will be on your way. Spice it up with a morning routine, and meditation if you want, and you are on the move to something new…

To get you a help on the way here; start step by step with small changes. Be aware of your thoughts, that is crucial for being able to change. A good thing to use is your experience. Search for situation that challenge you -If you are a person who having a habit of putting things off, here you got your opportunity. And in difficult or new situations use your experience and knowledge, you for sure have done something similar to the task…

Start working with; Practice mindfulness (meditation, breath practice etc.) Embrace self-compassion (like written above, no one is perfect) Step out of your comfort zone*) (If you have done your work properly-then you will now your fears and shortness). Acknowledge and process your feelings,(be aware of your feelings fears and frustrations) Keep a balanced perspective( When facing challenges, remind yourself of the bigger picture and long-term goals to help avoid getting overwhelmed by temporary setbacks. A balanced perspective can bring patience and perseverance.) Develop a positive mindset, Practice a positive inner talk and develop a problem solving attitude.

This week reflection of the cold shower habit: Some days it has been a bit of a challenge, but now it slowly becoming a habit…

Cody Francis – Weather Any Storm (Official Lyric Video)

See ya soon…