I’ve been really busy lately with my Mental Toughness coaching, and am also due to speak at the Annual SAS conference next Tuesday. Take a quick peak at my upcoming events below to see how you can get involved.

I’m also about to reveal some very valuable tips for Mental Toughness, completely FREE, ahead of the conference. Read on to get my 5 top tips for Mental Toughness.

Learn with me at these forthcoming events:

There’s still time to register and hear me speak at the North Western Deanery’s prestigious Annual SAS Conference in Manchester:

Annual SAS conference

Renaissance Hotel Manchester City Centre

Tuesday 28^th February 2012

Register to attend>>

Or, if you are studying for your PHD, why not attend one of my 1-day interactive workshops, designed to help you cope with the challenges and pressures you face whilst undertaking your research projects:

Mental Toughness for PHD Students

University College London (UCL)

Thursday 26th April 2012

Contact me to find out more>>

I’m also putting together a 2-day course for Coaches and anyone in Skills Development or HR who would like to become a Licensed User of MTQ48:

Mental Toughness Licensed User Training

Location & dates to be confirmed

Contact me to find out more>>

And finally, I’m creating a 1-day course for Owner-Managers, aimed at helping you navigate the everyday challenges of the current climate whilst rediscovering your passion for your business

Toughing out the Testing Times for Owner-Managers
Location & dates to be confirmed

Contact me to find out more>>

What are you waiting for? Let me make your stress work for you!

In preparation for the SAS conference, I’ve been reviewing my top tips for Mental Toughness. I thought I’d share 5 of my favourites with you here:

1. Focus on what you can control: 

If only we could control everything! But we can’t, and a lot of people waste energy and precious time trying to control the things that are utterly out of their control. There are 3 categories:

-        The things we can control – these are mainly to do with ourselves: planning, preparation, and performance

-        The things we can influence

-        The things we can do nothing about

It is supremely beneficial to let go of the last type – they are a total waste of our energy! By focusing only on that which is within our control, we set ourselves up for success rather than failure, whilst giving ourselves a real feeling of being in charge of our own lives.

2. Get better at saying no:

Being able to say no is just as important as being able to say yes and it requires a certain type of confidence.  By constantly agreeing to do things for other people or which aren’t part of our job, we are giving away our time and our power, and not valuing ourselves as much as we value the other person.  Think about the number of times you have chosen to say “yes” to someone thereby choosing to say “no” to a more valuable use of your own time.  A polite way to say no is to say “maybe later”, or “if I have time when I’ve finished the present task”.  The more we say yes the more we allow ourselves to be taken for granted. Saying no gives us the power to be assertive!

3. How do you eat an elephant? One piece at a time! 

Make sure you break down your goals into manageable chunks. What I encounter most when working with clients who are overwhelmed and frightened by goals is that the goals are too big.  They can’t visualise how they will achieve them and this creates fear and panic.  Break the goal down into small steps that you can actually see yourself achieving.  Work backwards from achieving each goal and ask: “what was the last thing I had to do to achieve this goal?”

4. Create the courage:

Mental confidence is directly affected by the way you talk to yourself and the scenarios you run in your head.  It’s not about mindless affirmations that you keep telling yourself you can do but keep finding you can’t.  That’s why I get my clients to develop an identity statement. You need to find the top strength that you possess that proves you can achieve greatness “I have more experience than my competition” and then think about what you actually want to achieve, and then combine the two: “I have more experience than my competition; I am the most effective Mental Toughness Consultant in the UK”. By having something positive to think about in tough times instead of self-doubt, you will find you have the courage to be that person and you’ll be mentally prepared to grab your top level goal!

5. The confidence biography: 

It’s often not so much what has happened to you but what you make of it that will strengthen or undermine your confidence.  That’s why I like to give my clients the task of building a confidence biography.  You just need to think back about your past accomplishments both at work and in your private life.  Think about where you excelled and where you struggled and how these experiences have played their part in creating the person you are now. By gathering up all these experiences in one place you can begin to think what you might do differently now.  The more of your life you can assemble, the more you will have to rely on when facing future challenges. And remember to pat yourself on the back for your achievements, no matter how great or small!

If you try these top tips, you’ll notice the improvement in your Mental Toughness in no time.

Want to know more about improving your Mental Toughness? Of course you do!

Asses your own Mental Toughness by using our Special Offer Taster Session – only £275 + VAT

For further top tips and details of my forthcoming workshops visit my website

And why not follow me on Twitter? @judithkrichef