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ASK AN EXPERT
jon How to Be Mentally Tough for Success

Jon Gordon is a speaker, consultant and author of the international best seller Training Camp: What the Best do Better than Everyone Else. Jon and his books have been featured on CNN, NBC’s Today Show and in Forbes, Fast Company, O Magazine, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times.

Jon is a graduate of Cornell University and holds a masters in teaching from Emory University. When he’s not speaking to businesses or schools, you can find him playing lacrosse or basketball with his wife and two “high energy” children.


Jon, what inspired you to write ‘Training Camp’, and who are the readers that will benefit from reading it?

I was inspired to write it after speaking to the Atlanta Falcons, an NFL football team. However, while it’s a story about a young man trying to make it in the NFL it’s really a story for anyone who wants to be their best.

Right now I’m getting wonderful feedback from executives of companies, sales people, athletes and even teenagers who are using the book to learn how to be their best.

 

 
book

In Training Camp, you share about 20 ways to mentally toughen ourselves. What specific advice on mental toughness would you give to –

· Young people who are about to begin their first job
1. Be humble and hungry.
2. Humble in that you learn, grow and improve every day.
3. Hungry with a passion to work harder than everyone else.
4. Strive for excellence every day - come into work and simply be your best every day. That’s all you can do.
 

· Workers who have been laid off

What you think may be the worst event in your life is often a catalyst for the best. I lost my job during the dot.com crash years ago and realized that bitterness and fear and negativity will not help me create the life that I want. I needed to focus on optimism and hope and a positive belief.

Positive beliefs lead to powerful actions that changed my life. Let’s face it, heroes and victims both get knocked down but heroes get back up and armed with optimism and purpose they create a positive future.

 

You mentioned in your book that ‘life is a team sport’. How can we cultivate ourselves to be a better ‘team player’ in all aspects of our lives?

We can first lead by example. One person in pursuit of excellence raises the standards of everyone around them. We can also encourage others. We can love others. And we can bring out the best in others. Each day we can ask, “How can I help my team win today.”

 

In your work with professional sports teams, world-class organizations and top executives, what is one key quality, for example, that sets the best apart from the rest of the competition?

I don’t think I can say there is one key quality. But I am convinced that mental toughness is the difference between a champion and an average performer. The best overcome their challenges, self doubt, fear and the negativity of others to create their success and their team’s success. They have fear like everyone else but they face it and they overcome it.