Take a quick second to think about this:
If you are not physically fit, you would feel physical stress as you climb a steep hill, right?
And if you are not mentally fit, you would feel mental stress, such as anxiety, frustration, or unhappiness, as you manage work and relationship challenges.
It may surprise you that 80% of people score below the minimum level of mental fitness required for peak performance and happiness.
That is no small number.
It would be dangerous for our physical state to be weak. Likewise, it is hazardous if our mental state is weak.
Mental Fitness: What Is It?
When you think of mental fitness, does the image of your brain doing squats come to mind?
Let us revise that image a bit with this definition: Mental fitness refers to caring for the state of your mind, involving taking care of your intellectual, emotional, and social well-being.
It is being able to maintain clarity in your thinking. Being aware of how you feel and behave while keeping your brain working fast enough to make effective decisions. Like physical exercise, mental exercise is key to developing mental fitness.
Of course, what might work for one person might not work the same way for you. There is no one size fits all approach to developing a mental exercise routine. You could read a book, solve a puzzle, or meditate to build your mental fitness.
What is important is that you practice this with consistency. Do this every day for a few minutes to develop your mental fitness.
What traits do we see in those who have a fit mental state?
Research shows they are:
more self-aware
empathetic
curious
mindful
resilient
and excellent communicators
As you might have gathered, these traits bring success to our relationships. They result in our being influential leaders. And they help us achieve our work and life goals.
How mental fitness can make us more effective leaders:
When you make time to build your mental muscles, you gain a better understanding of yourself and how to manage yourself and others better. There is a saying that goes, "When you master others, you gain strength; when you master yourself, you gain power."
Mental fitness gives you both. It makes you self-aware so you can identify your strengths and weaknesses.
As you know your strengths, you can play them to your advantage. In the same way, knowing your weaknesses helps you mitigate them. For example, your ability to delegate improves once you know your limitations.
You will know which tasks to hand over to your subordinates. And you will know which of your skills can support them.
Being self-aware will help you know how much to rely on yourself. And how much to rely on others. When you gain mental fitness, you master this skill. And in the end, it makes you a better leader.
Building your mental muscles will also lead to taking responsibility and encouraging action. A key element of effective leadership is taking responsibility. If you can take responsibility, you motivate your team to take action. If they act, you get results.
Mental fitness makes you mindful. For this reason, you are ready and willing to take responsibility for those under you. This can inspire your team and give them the confidence to act for your benefit.
You will understand your subordinates and know how to motivate them. Being in a fit mental state means you will be more empathetic. You will put yourself in your subordinates' shoes.
This will make you aware of their challenges and inclined to help them. You will also know how to encourage them to succeed and help you reach your goal.
You will consistently communicate effectively to get results. Communication in leadership goes beyond relaying information. Good leaders talk with their subordinates and leave them energized and inspired.
Building mental fitness results in an improvement in communication skills. You will not only speak to your subordinates with respect. You will listen to them as well.
This builds trust. The trust will improve your team's performance and get you the results you seek.
As you can see from what we have discussed, our leadership skills improve as we gain mental fitness.
3 Simple ways to build your mental muscles:
There are many ways to begin building your mental fortitude. Here are three simple strategies to start today that only take 5-15 minutes a day.
Practice mindful moments. Teaching your mind to focus on one specific thing for an extended period will train your mind that you are in control of your thoughts and feelings. When your mind drifts, guide it back to whatever you chose to focus on. The more you do this, the less your mind will try to redirect your focus away from what you want it on.
Stop replaying negative experiences, focusing on what went wrong. Instead, replay them concentrating on how you would handle it more effectively the next time. This will build the mental muscles that will allow you to show up more effectively the next time you are in a comparable situation.
Proactively seek out experiences that negatively trigger you. Look for how to be more empathetic or curious with yourself and the others involved. The more you do this, the less you will feel triggered.
As we work on our mental muscles to keep them in top shape, we will begin to enjoy the rewards of having the strength and skills necessary to build a successful life.
Just like physical fitness, mental fitness needs continuous dedication to build and maintain strength. So, building this into your daily practice will allow you to tackle not only the small hills more easily…it will also empower you to take on mountains over time.
What would it look like if you could take your leadership (& life!) to the next level? Schedule a complimentary Discovery Call with me and we’ll chat about your goals.