Ultimately, what sets apart people who achieve outstanding results?
The answer lies in your mentality!
How to train your mental muscles through sports athletes

“I think I have a weak mentality.” “I feel like I’m going to die from anxiety.” “I keep breaking down over small things.
“Is it because I lack perseverance?” There is no one who is not anxious.
In this world where every day is fierce, many people feel anxious.
But why do some people feel more anxious and others less so, even in the same situations? Are there people with truly strong mentality? The key to achieving peak performance with a steady mind in critical moments ultimately lies in how you manage your anxiety.
We often find people with what is called a 'mental steel' among sports players.
In particular, national team players are like models of healthy mentality and mindset.
So, wouldn't it be possible to learn the secrets of mental toughness from athletes?

You can learn the secret through this book, “Mind Training.”
Professor Han Deok-hyeon, a leading mental expert who has served national team members, and gold medalist Kim A-rang introduce mental muscle training methods based on extensive research and field experience.
This book begins by examining the complexes that block us at crucial moments, then gradually teaches us how to understand the true nature of fear and terror, enhance our self-identity, and ultimately achieve what we desire.


According to the author, Professor Han Deok-hyeon, “being mentally strong ultimately means having a strong self-identity.”
It can also be explained by saying that you have high self-esteem.” People often think that when they become anxious, they lose themselves.
According to the authors, the opposite is true.
It is more common for people to feel anxious because they don't know what kind of person they are.
As long as desires are not resolved, humans cannot escape anxiety.
If you are destined to be unable to escape anxiety, you have no choice but to live by believing in yourself and choosing the best life possible.
The authors unanimously agree that if we live by holding on to the thread of identity, we can reduce physical and mental exhaustion to some extent.


The authors point out that suppressing or ignoring anxiety can have negative consequences, and suggest ways to soothe and calm anxiety and move toward your goals.
In particular, it helps to correctly diagnose burnout and slumps that perfectionists are prone to in a fiercely competitive society, and to turn unavoidable competition into an opportunity for self-development.

To overcome a complex, you must first change your negative self-thoughts into positive self-thoughts.
It may seem easy at first glance, but it's actually not that simple.
Because we know ourselves best and listen to our inner voice the loudest.
In other words, no matter how loudly I shout out that I can do it and that I'm fine, I keep hearing negative cries in my head disguised as truth: "But that's not true, is it? The truth is, I can't do it."
So, one of the most necessary tasks when overcoming a complex is a very dry 'narration technique'.
That is, to list the facts as they are.

--- p.28

Medically, fear is expressed as 'phobia'.
Most fears manifest as monsters when faced with a specific object or situation.
However, fear has the characteristic of increasing terror regardless of the magnitude of the incident that occurred.
Fear makes people small.
Of course, it gets in the way of having confidence.
To gain confidence, you must analyze the nature of your fears.
When you know the truth, fear is like a conman.
It is usually much more distorted than reality.
Even though we can overcome difficulties, we often create monsters in our heads that hinder us from doing so.
To be free from fear, you must be able to distinguish between the real fears and terrors that plague you and the monsters created by your own distortions.
--- p.55~56

Anxiety is an emotion that everyone experiences.
The first step to managing anxiety is acceptance.
Only by accepting that you are anxious can you accurately assess your situation.
Let's say you have an important competitive presentation coming up.
If you don't get nervous in a presentation where the odds are 20 to 1, you're out of luck.
It will be five times more stressful than when you are presenting with a 4 to 1 competition ratio.
Still, if you want to do well in a presentation where the odds are 20 to 1, you can't afford to lose.
Rather than worrying about the results, you should focus on how well you can demonstrate your own or your organization's capabilities in a short period of time and put all your effort into concentrating.

--- p.70~71

Academically, the mental strength of athletes can be explained as the ability to overcome performance anxiety and perfectly display one's skills with incredible concentration.
A strong mentality depends on both 'qualities' and 'situations', which means that to some extent it is innate, and to some extent it is developed through systematic training.
So, what can we do to overcome anxiety and build mental strength? First, a consistent environment is crucial.

--- p.92

Excessive tension can cause illness, but mild tension can have a positive effect.
According to a research paper published in the psychology journal Emotion, a tolerable level of threat enhances the regulatory function of executive function, and the accompanying anxiety reinforces the threat, helping to improve concentration.
This supports the hypothesis that appropriately increasing situational anxiety improves performance in competitive situations.

--- p.93

There are many players who are sufficiently skilled but are unable to perform to their full potential due to tension and anxiety.
I would like to encourage them to try to overcome their anxiety with small successes.
It's not that many players don't perform well because they lack skill or know-how.
It is important to have opportunities to relieve anxiety and experience trust in yourself.
First, you need to start mind control by saying, “I can do it too” and “It’s worth a try” through small successes.
Sharing success and experiencing small successes early on gives us the gift of 'reward' or 'satisfaction'.
And this reward reinforces 'positivity'.

--- p.125~126

When negative thoughts come flooding in, how can you organize them? Try taking notes.
This is actually how Kim A-rang does it.
Kim usually takes a lot of notes, but he takes notes especially when his mind is complicated.
Then, divide what you can and cannot solve right now, figure out what you need to do first, and figure out how to do it.

--- p.146

Through competition, we humans learn negotiation, acceptance, integrative perspective, tolerance and avoidance.
In competition, it is also important to set boundaries.
To define the scope of your competition, you must know your limits.
It's difficult for me to consciously know my limitations.
It is difficult to identify one's own limitations and 'potential abilities' hidden in the subconscious.
American sports psychologist Tom Hanson said that if you subtract the burden from your potential ability, that is your current performance ability.

--- p.170~171

Positive people know how to focus on the present, not the past.
I don't want to advise you to "become a positive person unconditionally."
However, you need to know the mindset of a positive person and why such mindset produces good results.
If you've lived a certain amount of life, you'll know that you can get opportunities quickly by letting go when it's time to let go and holding on when it's time to hold on.
The habit of being stuck in the past runs counter to the nature of evolution.

--- p.183~184