069 David on Being Tough Vs Being Comfortable in Your Own Skin – Part 1

To maximise your potential, to perform at your very best consistently and to feel truly content there is an argument to say that being comfortable in your skin will help you.  Today is part one of a number of episodes, where I will go on to unpack “toughness” some common myths around mental toughness and some typical barriers that people put up.  I also go on to highlight some real examples, case studies and offer different strategies to help you.  This episode is designed to help you question your approach.

Key Learning Points:

• By “toughing it out” or “getting on with things”, you may be letting your ego takeover and sabotaging success. 
• When you hear the words Mental Agility and Mental Flexibility you wouldn’t necessarily consider similarities with Mental Toughness.  However, Professor Peter Clough 4 C’s framework highlights Mental Toughness does warrant a deeper look rather than being drawn into making assumptions based on one word – “Toughness”.
• Do you or your organisations culture promote psychological safety with an emphasis on conversations related to mental toughness?
• I discuss Naomi Osaka and the role of the elite professional athlete in sport and the difficulties they encounter meaning that they can struggle to be comfortable in their own skin. 
• Women's professional sport can make it challenging for athletes to be themselves due to demands on their time and the need to be “performing” for 60+ hour per week in some cases.
• Sports like gymnastics help youngsters develop excellent qualities such as discipline, focus and conscientiousness.  Yet, I’d be asking the question are some gymnasts “performing for too many hours?” As a result, this culture may be bringing on challenges such as learning new skills and “lost move syndrome.” 

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