Are You Mentally Tough Enough?

Getting what you want from your workout, your job, and your life takes mental toughness. Here’s how to tap yours, then make it rock solid. 

- Lesley Rotchford

Picture yourself out for a run with a big hill looming before you. You could turn around and skip it. After all, you’ve already logged plenty of miles. Or you could channel your strength and energy and take that mother on.

If you choose to charge over the hill, chances are you’ve got grit—the tenacity and stamina to work hard in pursuit of a goal, despite obstacles or setbacks. While talent and skills are important for getting ahead, grit is actually the biggest predictor of how successful you’ll ultimately be, research shows. “When it comes to achieving the goals that matter most, grit trumps talent, smarts, privilege, and luck,” says leading researcher Paul G. Stoltz, Ph.D., the author of Grit: The New Science of What It Takes to Persevere, Flourish, Succeed. “Anything worth accomplishing in life is tough. Without grit, you’ll never get there.”

Being gritty means that you’re going after the things you want, obstacles be damned. So it makes sense that fit people are grittier than the average person, according to research. “People who work out regularly usually have more energy and discipline and more experience with pain and sacrifice, and they put more effort into their goals,” Stoltz explains.