Mental toughness is about taking mental and emotion control of your life, and it begins with self discovery. The enemy of world class success is self delusion. For a vast array of reasons, human beings are pre-disposed to delusional thinking. This is NOT for YOU! The more aware you are of your habitual thoughts the easier it is to capitalize on your empowering habits and eliminate the habits holding you back. This post poses a critical thinking question no one has probably ever asked you. This is the stuff we all should have learned in school, because knowing how you think

One of the greatest mental toughness secrets of the world class is laughing in the face of fear and uncertainty. If you’ve ever lost everything you own, you know it’s not funny. But the way you represent any event in your mind will determine how your mind and body responds to it. I can remember waking up in the middle of the night, my heart pounding out of my chest terrified on how I would pay the rent after losing everything I had. What I learned was the one thing no one can take from you is the way you think.

I was speaking down in Melbourne, Australia recently at a hotel next to Rod Laver Arena, home of the Australian Open Tennis Championships. I had the rare opportunity to trade shots with Mr. Laver back in 1977, and he gave me a piece of advice I’ve never forgotten. Rod Laver is considered one of the best tennis players that ever lived, and he’s regarded as a national treasure in his native Australia. In between speeches, my wife Dawn and I took a tour of Rod Laver Arena and filmed this short video to share Rod Laver’s wisdom with you. Steve Siebold

I hope you’ll join us in West Palm Beach, Florida for the Thriving in 2009 Seminar, featuring Brian Tracy, Larry Wilson, Paul Martinelli and me, Steve Siebold. It’s February 28th, 2009, and it’s FREE! Visit www.thrivingin2009.com and type in my name for FREE tickets. In other news, it’s great to be back on the Mental Toughness Blog! I’m looking forward to reconnecting with this community and hearing your comments. Please listen to this post for details. Steve Siebold

While the masses in the United States are worried about gas and food prices, the world class is getting richer. There are now 9 million millionaires in the USA, and their average net worth will increase again this year. Private jet sales are up 34% in 2008, and the top 400 American tax payers will pay an average of 240 million in 2008 taxes. Clearly, the rich are going to get richer in 2008, no matter how many people claim the sky is falling. Are these people smarter than you and I? Are they more educated? After interviewing the world class for