Just as the body is strengthened for physical challenges, preparing the mind for the obstacles, frustrations, and challenges of the fire environment enhances overall performance. Your workout routine is a great place to begin to challenge your mental toughness. As Dr. Jim Loehr, sports psychologist explains, “There are four key elements to “toughness:” strength, flexibility, responsiveness, and resilience. Each component has a mental, physical, and emotional aspect to it – it’s not just mental toughness.” Mental Strength - you have strong concentration skills. You are physically strong. You can resist buckling under great emotional pressure. Mental Flexibility – the more rigid you are (inflexible), the easier it is to be thrown off by your opponent. The more physically flexible you are, the better you are physiologically to compete. Toughness does not mean being hard or mean. Basketball great Michael Jordon is an example of a responsive athlete. Michael is alive and spirited. Responsiveness is a sign of healthy competitiveness. Resilience refers to speed of recovery – mentally, emotionally, and physically. Great competitors have a great capacity to handle failure with grace. They are able to bounce back from disappointments or mistakes and keep competing.”