MENTAL TOUGHNESS……THE MISSING FACTOR TO GREATNESS; BY KERRY DAIGLE
Maw Maw Daigle always told me, “The people that become great in their fields are not the better educated, the better connected, or the person with the better looks, but rather it will be the person who has the ‘mental toughness’ to desire success no matter what the odds.” To think, Maw Maw Daigle always had the vision to teach me, her mentee, all the secrets to success.
I had the pleasure of working a professional fight Saturday, the 23rd, with one of the boxers I represent, Reggie “Sweet’ Johnson , the former WBA Middleweight Champion of the World and the former IBF Light-Heavyweight Champion of the World, to watch him win his third world title, the IBA World Light Heavyweight Championship. Why am I mentioning this? Simply because Reggie hadn’t fought in years, was 41 years old and competing against one of the toughest competitors in the game of professional boxing, Julio Gonzalez from Huntington Beach, California.
A younger Gonzalez who also was very busy staying sharp fighting regularly. Johnson was not looked at seriously by the media. He was almost ignored. Clearly the odds were against him. I didn’t meet anyone except my trainers, my family, Reggie, and myself who clearly believed that Reggie could win. The other surprised individual was Julio Gonzalez who looked not only perplexed and confused but mostly surprised by the excellent fighting style Reggie Johnson brought to the ring. Gonzalez felt the power from his opponent and was totally not expecting what was happening. What made the difference for Johnson to win? Simply, one simple ingredient, MENTAL TOUGHNESS. (
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In my 35 years of professional boxing I’ve seen some really great fighters; however, I have never seen the ‘mental toughness’ that Reggie Johnson showed leading into this title fight. Forget he hadn’t fought but once in 5 years. Boxing experts said he was too old, not busy enough, and definitely at this age could not hold off the younger, stronger Gonzalez. What the boxing experts could not see in Johnson’s eyes was his will to win, the mental toughness it takes to become a legend in boxing. Now the rest of the boxing world needs to take notice.
One of my favorite people who I often admired and consider a mentor through his books and articles written about him was Vince Lombardi. “Mental Toughness” was often his favorite topic that developed not only champions but also leaders. Mental toughness is the ability to maintain your vision in times of distress and negativity. It is the element missing to keep teams together and athletes winning against all odds. (Think of the New York Giants recently). It is the one ingredient that allows that team or athlete to outdo the competition and perform miracles to win. It is the ability to come back from failing and consider those days of failure as lessons in life to prepare you for success. This also describes the journey of an entrepreneur or professional seeking lifelong success in their field. In the story of the athlete such as Reggie it is the ability to fight a long hard 12 rounds after tearing a muscle in his right shoulder in the 5th round but yet to compete and still win against a dangerous, tough opponent. It is the individual who loses a sale and gets told “no” many times to her sales presentation but prevails regardless. It’s all the same. It is about mental toughness. No negativity can break the mind of the individual who believes in his or her self and then prepares to win.
Lombardi would always mention to his players, “Hurt is in the mind only.” That shoulder injury Reggie Johnson had in the early rounds (the 5th) of the fight could have made him quit but instead he decided that he could compete regardless. It is the person who goes bankrupt but realizes that although his or her finances were taken away that they still owned their skills, therefore, giving them the mental toughness to compete and succeed again. There are so many stories of many successes like this from Walt Disney to Abraham Lincoln to George Foreman and now to Reggie Johnson.
You are not born with mental toughness. It is not inherited. You can’t take a pill and get tough mentally. You learn how to become mentally tough. All successful people are those who set their sights high, gain their goals, move forward, and then fall down due to occasional setbacks. The setbacks make the difference. Once you are lucky enough to have ‘setbacks’ you will learn from them and become mentally tough. It is mark of character.
“The most important element in the character make-up of a man who is successful is that of mental toughness.”
Vince Lombardi
Developing mental toughness the Lombardi or Johnson way is by first keeping the pressure on and never looking back or giving up. It is so easy to do well when there are no problems or stress, however, how many people ‘fold over’ when defeat is biting you in the seat of your pants? It is about being calm and figuring out how something will work vs how something will not work. Reggie Johnson knew, regardless of the shoulder injury, he needed to stare adversity, negativity, and defeat in the face. Only then could he become a winner.
My hat goes off to Reggie Johnson and others who stare at adversity in the face every day and never, ever, give up ……..no matter what.
Remember, obstacles are nothing more than ‘opportunities’ in disguise. Be thankful when you come across an obstacle in your life. It will test your ‘mental toughness’, the make-up of champions and successful leaders.
Keep Punching!
Kerry is a contributing writer for THE ACADIAN, a public speaker, an author and life coach specializing in mental fitness. More of his articles with THE ACADIAN can be found on
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Kerry’s blend of wisdom, experience, and personal humility come together in unique and powerful insights that impact everyone he comes in contact with on a daily basis and believes everyone can truly have success in their lives by making a few changes.
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Kerry is also available for consultations, speaking engagements and workshops. He has traveled all of North America and abroad to Europe and Australia as a keynote speaker.
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