The Importance of Mental Toughness

Ghandi once said, "Strength does not comes from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will." 


Just like any sport, hockey requires more than just the physical skills and strength. In fact, in order to be successful, one must have great mental capabilities. Both Ghandi's quote and the picture underline the importance of mental toughness. It plays a crucial role in the success of athletes, teams, and individuals. 


There are many characteristics of mental toughness that affect an athlete’s success and performance. Some characteristics include self-belief, confidence, focus, commitment, motivation, will, and so on. All of these combine to create an athlete’s inner strength. Once we, athletes, have found that strength, nothing can stop us from achieving our goals and dreams. Though, in reality there will always be many obstacles along the road and the only way to overcome them is to use that strength effectively. For instance, mentally tough athletes look at competition as a challenge to rise up rather than a threat to back down. 


Also, many people wonder why some athletes always manage to constantly win medals, titles, championships, as if they were invincible. Well, a major factor in their constant success is mental toughness. In fact, mental toughness separates champions from the average good athletes. For example, why is Canadian athlete Clara Hughes the only athlete ever to win multiple medals in both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games? I’m sure there are many other athletes throughout the world who aspire to do the same, but why is she the only one to accomplish something so unique? Part of the answers to these questions is clearly the fact that she is a talented and gifted athlete. There’s no doubt about that! Though, in my opinion, the main reason for her amazing achievement is her mental ability to be consistent day in and day out - consistently bringing a positive attitude despite difficult challenges, always staying calm and composed under pressure & not letting stressful situations get in the way, staying motivated to achieve new heights, and so on. Being able to do this takes practice…mental practice.

So far, I have only written about the athletic side of mental toughness which is why I think it is important to remember that even though some people are not involved in sports, it does not mean they can't be mentally tough. Being mentally tough in our everyday life is equally, if not more important than in sports, as life is filled with challenges that can easily influence the way we live as well as the way we interact with others. Mental toughness applies to every aspect of life and everything you decide to do. 

Finally, I would like to finish by sharing an example I think clearly illustrates mental toughness in both sports and life. I'm sure most people have once heard of a young man named Terry Fox. Terry, an athlete and cancer research activist, began his Marathon of Hope across Canada with the goal of raising awareness for cancer research. Running with a prosthetic leg was quite the challenge but Terry set out to "conquer his disability, promising to complete his run even if he had to crawl every last mile". His determination and mental strength helped him every inch of the way until cancer sadly took over. I could go into more details about his story and accomplishment but I would rather leave you with a quote from a letter he wrote: "I remember promising myself that, should I live, I would rise up to meet this new challenge [of fundraising for cancer research] face to face and prove myself worthy of life, something too many people take for granted." To this day, Terry's legacy lives on and continues to inspire people to pursue their goals and dreams, and more importantly, to face challenges with courage and determination, regardless of the possible outcomes. 

Terry Fox once said "How many people do something they really believe in? I just wish people would realize that anything's possible, if you try: dreams are made, if people try."