Table of Contents
Introduction 11
Chapter 1 What Is Mental Toughness? 13
Characteristics of Mentally Tough People 14
Benefits of Being Mentally Tough 15
Assessing Your Mental Toughness 18
Using Habits to Build Mental Toughness 22
How Setting Goals Leads to Success 29
What Next? 33
Chapter 2 Exercises to Set Goals and Boost Motivation 37
Exercise 1 Align Your Goals and Values 38
Exercise 2 Create a Vision Board 39
Exercise 3 Beat Procrastination in Five Minutes 41
Exercise 4 Design Your Environment 43
Exercise 5 Aim for Incremental Change 44
Exercise 6 Bundle Your Temptations 46
Exercise 7 Make Accountability Your Friend 49
Exercise 8 Get Intentional 50
Exercise 9 Create a Morning Routine 51
Exercise 10 Prioritize Your Day 53
Exercise 11 Try the 80/20 Rule 54
Exercise 12 Set Goals for This Workbook 55
Chapter 3 Exercises to Cultivate Emotional Resilience 57
Exercise 13 Build Your Emotional Vocabulary 58
Exercise 14 Fill Your Cup First 60
Exercise 15 Strengthen Your Social Support 61
Exercise 16 Practice Radical Acceptance 62
Exercise 17 Try the Opposite Action 64
Exercise 18 Learn to Let Go 67
Exercise 19 Know Your Emotional Blind Spots 69
Exercise 20 Make Gratitude an Attitude 71
Exercise 21 Track Your Mood 72
Exercise 22 Adapt to Change 75
Exercise 23 Try Expressive Writing 76
Exercise 24 Put an End to Emotional Eating 77
Chapter 4 Exercises to Build Grit 81
Exercise 25 Finish What You Started 82
Exercise 26 Get Out of Your Comfort Zone 84
Exercise 27 Try Foam Rolling 85
Exercise 28 Uncover Dangerous Distractions 86
Exercise 29 Commit to the Challenge 88
Exercise 30 Get Prepared to Persevere 90
Exercise 31 Check Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself 92
Exercise 32 Know When to Change Course 94
Exercise 33 Create a Personal Mission Statement 95
Exercise 34 Streamline Your Life 96
Exercise 35 Choose Progress over Perfection 98
Exercise 36 Discover Your Passion Through Purpose 99
Chapter 5 Exercises to Maintain Patience and Self-Control 103
Exercise 37 Practice Being Bored 104
Exercise 38 Try the Five-Second Rule 105
Exercise 39 Establish Boundaries 106
Exercise 40 Delay Gratification 108
Exercise 41 Practice Mindful Behavior 110
Exercise 42 Have a Realistic Timeline 112
Exercise 43 Change Your Perspective 113
Exercise 44 Take Back Control from Your Smartphone 114
Exercise 45 Test Your Own Patience 116
Exercise 46 Create an If/Then Plan 117
Exercise 47 Set Internal Boundaries 119
Exercise 48 Ask "Why?" Five Times 120
Chapter 6 Exercises to Increase Optimism 123
Exercise 49 Reframe Negative Thoughts 124
Exercise 50 Use Positive Affirmations 126
Exercise 51 Subtract Negativity 128
Exercise 52 Look for Silver Linings 130
Exercise 53 Cultivate Gratitude and Set Your Intentions 131
Exercise 54 Envision Your Best Future 132
Exercise 55 Think Abundantly 133
Exercise 56 Cultivate Contentment 135
Exercise 57 End Doomscrolling 138
Exercise 58 Recognize Distorted Thinking 139
Exercise 59 Practice Twenty-Four Hours of Joy 141
Exercise 60 Make a Positive Contribution 142
Chapter 7 Exercises to Confront Stress 145
Exercise 61 Find Your Center 146
Exercise 62 Establish Healthy Coping Strategies 147
Exercise 63 Ask, "What's the Worst That Could Happen?" 150
Exercise 64 Know Your Stress Response 151
Exercise 65 Customize a Self-Care Routine 153
Exercise 66 Try the Cold-Water Challenge 156
Exercise 67 Befriend Uncertainty 158
Exercise 68 Schedule Time to Worry 160
Exercise 69 Learn to Say No 162
Exercise 70 Create a Positive Anchor 164
Exercise 71 Find Time to Move 166
Exercise 72 Externalize Your Anxiety 168
Chapter 8 Exercises to Forge Self-Confidence 171
Exercise 73 Rewrite Your Story 172
Exercise 74 Write a Self-Love List 174
Exercise 75 Ask, "Am I Being Too Hard on Myself?" 175
Exercise 76 Turn Your Inner Critic Into Your Inner Coach 176
Exercise 77 Take a Social Media Break 178
Exercise 78 Fake It Till You Make It 180
Exercise 79 See Yourself As Others See You 181
Exercise 80 Learn a New Skill 182
Exercise 81 Create Your Own Elevator Pitch 184
Exercise 82 Hone Your Intuition 186
Exercise 83 Initiate a Difficult Conversation 188
Exercise 84 Unpack Your Shame Drawer 189
Chapter 9 Exercises to Improve Self-Awareness 191
Exercise 85 Know Your Values 192
Exercise 86 Ask "What?" Not "Why?" 193
Exercise 87 Identify Your Worst Habits 195
Exercise 88 Borrow an Outsider's Perspective 196
Exercise 89 Ask for Constructive Criticism 197
Exercise 90 Find Your Resistance 198
Exercise 91 Befriend Your Shadow 200
Exercise 92 Discover Your Strengths 202
Exercise 93 Write Your Own Eulogy 204
Exercise 94 Interview Yourself 205
Exercise 95 Keep a Journal 207
Exercise 96 Ask, "Who Am I?" 209
Chapter 10 Exercises to Embrace Failure 211
Exercise 97 Learn from the Past 212
Exercise 98 Practice Failing on Purpose 213
Exercise 99 Ask for Help When You Need It 214
Exercise 100 Start Before You Feel Ready 215
Exercise 101 Break the Mistake Cycle 217
Exercise 102 Calculate the Risk 219
Exercise 103 Detach from the Outcome 220
Exercise 104 Learn from Other People's Failures 222
Exercise 105 Reflect on the Risks You Took-and the Ones You Didn't 223
Exercise 106 Stop Avoiding Failure 224
Exercise 107 Fail Better 225
Exercise 108 Get Rejected 227
Chapter 11 Exercises to Hone Attentional Focus 229
Exercise 109 Create a Distractions List 230
Exercise 110 Sharpen Your Memory 231
Exercise 111 Try Time Blocking 232
Exercise 112 Know Your Limits 234
Exercise 113 Develop a Trigger Word 236
Exercise 114 Listen Actively 237
Exercise 115 Do Deep Work 239
Exercise 116 Meditate 241
Exercise 117 Determine Your Optimal Time 242
Exercise 118 Read with Intention 244
Exercise 119 Get Organized 245
Exercise 120 Visualize Success 246
Index 249
