Your Thursday Three Things for March 6, 2025

Mental Toughness Isn’t Just About Grinding

Jon Macaskill

Will Schneider

, and

Men Talking Mindfulness

Mar 06, 2025

We love to glorify toughness… the grind, the push, the "never quit" mindset. And yeah, mental toughness is built by doing hard things consistently. But come on now… if your version of toughness destroys you in the process, you’re doing it wrong.

Mental toughness isn’t just about how much you can suffer… it’s about how well you can keep showing up, over and over again, without burning out. It’s about being disciplined, not just driven.

The Toughness Trap: When Grit Becomes Stupid

I’ve had my fair share of grueling training, but one memory stands out.

We were deep into a BRUTAL 72 hour training evolution, pushing through exhaustion. One guy… let’s call him Brian… was the definition of “grind culture.” He would push himself beyond reason. He refused water when we had a short break, he wouldn’t ease his pace even when our instructors told us to be smart, and he kept trying to prove he was tougher than everyone else.

Then, in the middle of a brutal ruck, his body shut down. Heat exhaustion took over, and suddenly this “mentally tough” guy had to be carried out… by the same teammates he had been trying to impress.

The lesson? Mental toughness is about longevity, not reckless suffering. If you burn yourself out because you think toughness means "just push harder," you won’t be in the fight long enough to matter.

That’s why true mental toughness is a mix of discipline, resilience, and recovery. And it’s something we just talked about on Men Talking Mindfulness with Tim Kennedy, a guy who knows a thing or two about staying tough and staying smart.

If you don’t know Tim, he’s a former UFC fighter, Green Beret, and Special Forces Sniper who now runs a nonprofit helping people escape conflict zones. He’s one of the toughest, most disciplined people out there, but he also understands the importance of balance, recovery, and training for the long game.

And yeah… there’s been some controversy around him recently. He even spoke about it on our episode, breaking down how to handle personal attacks, especially the kind that come from social and news media. If you haven’t checked it out yet, listen here: https://pod.fo/e/2b3e7f.

How to Build REAL Mental Toughness

Do Hard Things Regularly - But With Purpose: Toughness isn’t something you tap into when life gets hard. It’s something you train for every day. Cold showers, early wake-ups, tough workouts—these things condition your mind. But don’t just do them for the sake of suffering. Do them to train discipline.
Stay Consistent - Even When It’s Boring: The hardest part of mental toughness isn’t the extreme moments… it’s the daily grind. It’s getting up at 5 AM even when no one’s watching. It’s sticking to your commitments even when motivation is gone. Anyone can push through a hard workout once. The truly tough ones show up again tomorrow… and the next day!
Know When to Recover: If you’re constantly wrecked, your “mental toughness” is just disguised self-sabotage. Real toughness includes knowing when to slow down. You don’t see elite athletes training at 100% every day, because they know their body (and mind) needs recovery.

And that’s where mindfulness comes in. If you can’t sit still with your thoughts, if you don’t know how to check in with yourself, if you can’t recognize when you’re redlining… you’re not mentally tough. You’re just distracted.

Three Things to Build Mental Toughness (Without Burning Out)

Book Highlight: The Comfort Crisis by
Michael Easter
. This book is a deep dive into why we’ve become too comfortable and how embracing discomfort (in the right way) makes us sharper, tougher, and better equipped for life.
Tool Highlight: The 40% Rule Used by Navy SEALs and endurance athletes, the 40% rule states that when you think you’re done, you’re actually only at about 40% of your true capacity. Your mind gives up before your body does. Use that knowledge to push just a little further.
Favorite Practice: Mindfulness for Toughness If you think mindfulness is soft, you’re missing the point. It’s one of the best tools for building mental resilience. That’s why Will and I are kicking off a live virtual mindfulness and meditation course starting April 27th. If you want to build mental strength from the inside out, join us here: https://mentalkingmindfulness.com/learnmeditation.

Final Thought: Be Tough Enough to Stay in the Fight

Mental toughness isn’t about going hard until you break. It’s about staying in the fight long enough to win.

Train hard.
Be disciplined.
Stay consistent.
But don’t be dumb about it.

Catch you next Thursday with more insights, leadership tips, and mindfulness practices. Until then, stay tough, stay smart, and stay in the fight.

Cheers,

Jon from Frogman Mindfulness

and

Jon AND Will from Men Talking Mindfulness

P.S. If this hit home, subscribe for more weekly insights:

And if you haven’t yet, check out Men Talking Mindfulness… where we break down leadership, wellness, and mental resilience every week.