| To reach full potential, any athlete needs mental | | | | physical training five days a week, 48 weeks a year. |
| toughness. That's a combination of mental, emotional | | | | Are you making yourself fit to do battle in the |
| and physical toughness. How do you achieve that? | | | | workplace? |
| You need to get out of your comfort zone and | | | | 4. Rangers are trained to believe that there is more |
| regularly expose yourself to difficulties that stretch | | | | than one way to do almost anything. Are you a flexible |
| your limits. Pride yourself on being able to handle tough | | | | and adaptable thinker? |
| circumstances, without whining or feeling self-pity. Top | | | | 5. Rangers must be ready to deploy anywhere in the |
| athletes are great role models for this. Who else can | | | | world on 18-hours notice. Do you maintain a ready |
| we learn this from? Right. Military people. They are all | | | | state of mind for any eventuality? |
| about mental toughness. | | | | 6. Rangers are expert at infiltrating by air, sea or land |
| SIX MILITARY SPECIAL FORCES MIND | | | | into any kind of terrain, under any type of condition. Do |
| STRATEGIES
 | | | | you consider yourself well-rounded in your tactics and |
| United States Army Ranger training is one of the | | | | abilities? |
| toughest special forces military programs on the planet. | | | | Do you want the mental abilities of a Ranger? |
| Mind skills are as important as physical and soldering | | | | Toughen your mind. |
| skills. All but the toughest wash out. About 60% of all | | | | Be a mentally tough athlete. Adopt the mental |
| applicants fail during indoctrination. This failure rate is | | | | strategies of the Rangers and toughen your mind and |
| purposefully designed into the initiatives to weed out all | | | | body. |
| but the very toughest and best people. Attendees | | | | This article covers only one small part of the mental |
| who graduate have the confidence and mental | | | | game. A complete mental training program includes |
| toughness of knowing they passed through the virtual | | | | motivation and goal-setting, pre-event mental |
| gates of torture and lived. How many of these Ranger | | | | preparation, post-event review and analysis, mental |
| mind tools do you possess? | | | | strengthening, self-regulation training, breath control |
| 1. Rangers train to expect the unexpected. Do you | | | | training, motor skill training, mental rehearsal, |
| love unpredictability or are you a creature of habit who | | | | concentration training, pressure-proofing, communication |
| gets thrown off-balance with every change of wind? | | | | training, confidence-building, breaking through mental |
| 2. Rangers train against enemy capture exploitation | | | | barriers, slump prevention, mental toughness training, |
| and political indoctrination tactics. Do you have a plan | | | | flow training, relaxation training, momentum training, |
| for handling workplace politics? | | | | psych-out proofing and media training. |
| 3. Rangers are the only military unit that mandates | | | | |
