{"id":991,"date":"2016-04-26T17:37:00","date_gmt":"2016-04-26T17:37:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/martins.eatsmartbewell.com\/home\/?p=991"},"modified":"2022-08-12T17:57:25","modified_gmt":"2022-08-12T17:57:25","slug":"toughing-it-to-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/martins.eatsmartbewell.com\/home\/toughing-it-to-success\/","title":{"rendered":"Toughing it to Success"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Toughing<\/h1>\n

Mind Over Matter, Habits Over Dreams:<\/span><\/span>
\nToughing it to Success<\/span><\/p>\n

America\u2019s elite athletes and other high achievers might be known for skill or genius, but plenty of research says this: talent schmalent. What matters is a thing called \u201cgrit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Angela Duckworth, a researcher from the University of Pennsylvania, studied West Point cadets and found that it wasn\u2019t those with the highest SAT scores, leadership potential scores, or physical aptitudes who performed the best. It was cadets with a strong passion to do well, a willingness to work hard, and persevere against obstacles. Her research panned out in other environments as well. In short, it\u2019s the mentally tough who succeed.<\/p>\n

What does it mean to be mentally tough? It\u2019s not necessarily being able to withstand climbs up mountains in snowstorms or other torturous feats. The key ingredients are woefully anticlimactic\u2014 consistency and habits.<\/p>\n

Many of us could get up early one morning and run a few miles or go for a nice long walk. Fewer of us could do it three times a week, and even fewer, every day. Each level of frequency is another distinguisher of the mentally tough, folks who focus on daily actions (walking at 6 a.m. today, eating a salad for lunch every weekday for 3 months) rather than the dreamy idea of a far-off outcome (losing 30 pounds).<\/p>\n

By focusing on what\u2019s before them next (today\u2019s walk, today\u2019s salad), the mentally tough are able to continue to take daily steps toward larger goals even when motivation is low. They commit to actions and schedules, rather than lofty ideas or fame and glory. This doesn\u2019t mean they aren\u2019t inspired by success, only that they prioritize habits, and put their faith into the idea that steps make the staircase, even on days when the top of the staircase is up in the clouds. And they hold on to their structure with unshakable tenacity.<\/p>\n

Travis Bladecki, a 23 year-old runner from LaPorte who\u2019s organizing Sunburst this year, has run seven marathons and an ultramarathon. \u201cThe first summer I trained for a marathon,\u201d he said, \u201cI was working eight hours a day and usually had a night class. The only way I had time to run was if I got up at 4:00 in the morning, so that\u2019s what I did. I knew I had to if I wanted to succeed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Travis describes his ultramarathon, a 51 mile run through the rough terrain of Michigan\u2019s Upper Peninsula as very challenging. \u201cThe second time through a 19-mile loop near the end, was the hardest. For three of four miles I was going so slow, hardly moving.\u201d When asked if he thought about quitting, he says, \u201cNo, I had worked too hard for it. I would have let myself down if I quit.\u201d<\/p>\n

The mentally tough figure out how to fit the daily steps in \u2013 even if they\u2019re stepping at 4:00 a.m. \u2013 and then they acknowledge their hard work as an achievement in and of itself, something they want to continue building on. And although there\u2019s more research to be done, it\u2019d be interesting to know if the mentally tough feel better after they achieve their goal, better than say, someone who lucks into quality performance because of good genetics or arbitrary circumstances.<\/p>\n

\u201cFinishing a marathon,\u201d says Bladecki, \u201cgives me so much satisfaction. I feel overwhelmed and rewarded. I break down a little, then I find my family and friends and hug it out. Then I get a beer.\u201d Which might mean, that the mentally tough don\u2019t belittle what they\u2019ve done. They come by it honestly, and they celebrate with the genuine gratitude of a truly hard worker.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mind Over Matter, Habits Over Dreams: Toughing it to Success America\u2019s elite athletes and other high achievers might be known for skill or genius, but plenty of research says this: talent schmalent. What matters is a thing called \u201cgrit.\u201d Angela … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[28,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-991","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-active-lifestyle","category-articles"],"yoast_head":"\nToughing it to Success - Eat Smart Be Well<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/martins.eatsmartbewell.com\/home\/toughing-it-to-success\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Toughing it to Success\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Mind Over Matter, Habits Over Dreams: Toughing it to Success America\u2019s elite athletes and other high achievers might be known for skill or genius, but plenty of research says this: talent schmalent. 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