Now that the emotions following England's loss in the Euros have died down a little 😠I was just thinking about on the mental strength that it took for the likes of Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka, not only to step up in the moment and take those penalties, but also how they've managed to handle the backlash with grace and stand up for their beliefs.
In the sports world, the term 'mental strength', gets thrown around a lot, especially at the highest level where the stakes are so high.
But you don't have to be a professional athlete to possess it.
So what does showing mental strength mean in our lives?
To me, mental strength is about showing up every day.
It’s about riding the highs and accepting that there will always be lows, and being able to persevere through those low moments.
It’s about embracing the journey, not just focusing on the destination.
It’s about not allowing one weak moment or mistake to completely derail you.
It’s about allowing yourself to have a bad day, and then showing up the next day ready to have a great one.
It’s about surrounding yourself with positive, supportive people and avoiding the Negative Nigel's and Nancy's of the world, who will find joy in dragging you down if you let them.
It’s about making decisions with confidence and owning the outcomes of those decision as opposed to playing the victim and blaming other people or your circumstances.
It’s about showing up for your workout, for your meal prep, for your friends and family.
And for yourself.
Be present today. Accept the highs and the lows. If you make a mistake or have a bad day, learn from it and move on.
The truth is, mental strength is not something we either have or don’t have. It’s something we have on some days and don’t have on others.
And it’s something we can choose to have today, if we want it.