An Important Lesson at 16: Mental Toughness

Dr. Nicolas Porter
Founder Risas Dental and Braces

Dr. Nicolas Porter 

Have you ever watched a professional football game on Television and wondered, “Why are they wearing all that jewelry and bling when they are out there to get beat up and knocked around?”

As a teenager who was heavily interested and influenced by athletics, namely football, I used to ask that same question.  In those days, Deion Sanders was the King of overdoing his outfit on the football field.  Dressed in his Dallas Cowboys Uniform, he would seldom be caught on TV without his gold chain, multiple wristbands and colorful gloves.  When asked why he needed the accessories, he responded, 

“When you look good, you feel good and when you feel good, you play good (well).”

My high school senior thesis was about this exact topic; that is, mind over matter or psychosomatics.  As Sanders pointed out in this over-the-top example, the mind has the power the control the body or to make the body do things that it didn’t know it could.   

As a dentist, we are taught to “think between the cheeks.”  While this is true to an extent, I’ve learned through the years how vital it is to have complete control over what lies between our ears.  Those of us who know how to unlock the true power of our minds can achieve a level of success in any discipline in our life – be it spiritual, health, financial or relational.   

The strength of your mind equals the strength of your business, your health, your marriage, your finances and so forth.  If you examine your life and identify the areas you need the most help, you will inevitably come to the conclusion that where you lack the most discipline mentally is where you fall short because your fruits or lack thereof will be shown; what is in the well will eventually come up and out of it no matter how hard you try and push it back in and hide it.  

We can be mentally tough in one area and not the next.  Our mind can be so good and guiding us through the process of a good business and then struggle like a rookie when it comes to handling our health.  We can spend hours and hours on a solid business plan, but lack the initiative and energy (or so we think) to spend 30 minutes walking on a treadmill!

This is me, folks!  Incredibly strong in areas and incredibly weak in others.  My mind has given me the power to succeed in ways I could have never imagined and it has also given me more grief in areas where I wished I was stronger.

The solution is simple, but we are often too prideful to accept it.  For me, I find my strengths and I spend as much time in my strength zone as I can.  Then, I find my weak zones and I ask for help from someone who is stronger than me in that area.  When I find someone who can help me in an area, I ask for patience and forgiveness, I ask for no judgement, I exclaim and admit that I’m weak and that I need the help of others to be the well rounded person that I always dreamt of becoming.  

No one does it alone.  I know it always looks like someone has it all.  Perhaps some look at me and think that and I just giggle.  The pursuit of happiness to me is the pursuit of mental strength and many times that mental strength comes from one of my very good friends, a business partner, my brothers or sister, my dad or something I remember my mom saying, a note from an appreciative colleague or acquaintance.  

Psychosomatics is the idea of mind over body.  Spend some quality time with yourself just meditating or praying or just being silent with yourself.  As I continue this journey with you to find the peace and happiness that exists in this crazy world of ours, it’s important to fill our minds daily with positive impact moments, I call them PIMs.  

Take complete control over your life, your health, your success, your relationships by becoming mentally tough.  It requires exercise just like your muscles and usually when you ask for something in your life to improve, God gives you the remedy, but in the form of work because He knows that’s how we learn.  No Pain, No Gain.  Anything that’s easy to gain will be easy to lose and the reverse is also true.  Don’t be afraid of a little tough love from above.  

Until next week, keep that chin up and mind clear!

This article is a feature from the series, “From the Mouth of Dr. Nicolas.” You can listen to “El Show del Dr. Nicolas” every Wednesday from 8 a.m. – 9 a.m. on 1190AM. Visit the official website at www.DrNicolasShow.com

If you have any questions regarding this topic, and would like to make an appointment for a free consultation, visit RisasDental.com, or follow Dr. Nicolas on Twiiter @DrNicolasShow or “LIKE” his page on Facebook at Facebook.com/DrNicolasShow

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