Originally Posted by
gif4445
I guess there are all types of ways to arrive at a point where you are mentally tough. Life's experiences will do that. I tell the high school basketball players I coach, that mental toughness is an act of focusing on the goal and task at hand. Not getting sidetracked by other things. In Randonneuring however, I find if I am focusing on the distance or pedaling, I don't do as well as when my mind wonders. Especially when pain and/or fatigue are the enemy. My focus is on other things to mentally escape the pain. I think many do this in their real life experiences.
Getting kids away from the TV when they are growing up and encouraging them to do things like read books might help too. The TV gives things to kids (and adults too) in small bits ... 2 minutes of this segment, 3 minutes of that segment, then a series of commercials, then a few more minutes of this and that ... it doesn't really help develop any kind of focusing skills or imagination.
I didn't have a TV until I was about 16. Perhaps that helps my ability to entertain myself with stories of my own creation while cycling long distances.
Oh ... maybe not having a TV until I was about 16 was a "childhood trauma"!!
