Mental Toughness

The overwhelming majority of our thoughts are involuntary. We did not ask for them. We did not try to create them. They just appeared – due to a tremendously complex myriad of factors neuroscience still does not fully understand.

The problem with this is that our involuntary thoughts are often random, irrational, nonsensical, and utterly useless.

You can think of your involuntary thoughts like your really drunk friend at the bar. They’re wandering all over the place and they won’t shut up.

This is a problem because our thoughts are what drive our emotions, beliefs about ourselves, and our actions. So, allowing your involuntary thoughts to run wild – without closely observing and monitoring them – is like giving your car keys to your drunk friend. It’s a terrible idea. Just as the friend will drive your car into the bushes, your involuntary thoughts will drive your mood and actions on a wild emotional rollercoaster of ups, downs and nauseating sharp turns.

Mindfulness is the solution. Learning mindfulness – which is defined as the ability to be fully present and objective – gives you the ability to notice your thoughts on a moment-by-moment basis so you can examine them, determine if they are useful, and then either follow or discard them.

Learning mindfulness allows YOU to become the driver of your mind, beliefs, and emotions rather than your drunk friend at the bar.