TOUGHNESS AND RESILIENCE

There is a lot of discussion about what toughness and resilience are, how these concepts are similar, and how they differ. 

I did not know the difference, nor did I think about these concepts much until I began teaching them for the Navy during the twilight of my 22-year military career in special operations.

Let me be clear, you do need both qualities (toughness and resilience) to be as effective as possible and to perform to your utmost potential.

What is toughness?

Some academics have done a lot of interesting research on what makes an individual tough. From grit to hardiness, resilience, etc. There have been a lot of studies, books, and papers written about this very topic.

The Basic Underwater Demolition/ SEAL (BUD/S) schoolhouse in Coronado, Ca have invested time and a variety of resources into this topic as well. From doctors to performance psychologists, for years the Navy has tried to figure out the recipe for success through BUD/S training to produce more SEAL operators.

I am not an academic, nor will I pretend to be one here. I do, however, have a lot of experience with this topic from several perspectives. I successfully graduated from BUD/S 20 years ago, I was an instructor there at the schoolhouse roughly 12 years ago, and I have had the privilege of working with some of the Navy's top performance psychologists, some of which were dedicated to this subject.

I will simplify the topic of toughness by relating it to preparation. Many forms of toughness (physical, mental, and spiritual are the most generic) can be developed over time. This is done through adequate preparation.

Performance Baseline

Toughness can be defined as the state of being strong enough to withstand adversity. 

Adversity looks different based on the circumstance, the environment, and the conditions.

When it comes to toughness, we all begin somewhere. This is known as our performance baseline and this starting point is respective to a particular event or endeavor. 

Adequate preparation is how we increase this baseline and our chances of being successful. Increased performance is derived from an increase in our toughness.

Being tough for one type of situation or circumstance doesn't necessarily guarantee toughness in another. There are aspects of this attribute that carry over into other areas, however, I will propose to you that possessing toughness for a specific event largely comes down to your level of preparation for said event. Would you agree with this?

With this rationale, we can assume that our toughness may be attributed to how well we have prepared for a specific endeavor. If there are parallels between certain challenges, then we may also deduce that our toughness in one may translate well to another.

An example of this concept would be how the toughness needed for the arduous sport of wrestling compares with the mental strength and tenacity needed for SEAL training.

Both endeavors require physical stamina, mental tenacity, discipline, and the ability to withstand intense pain and discomfort for long periods. They also require mental grit, and resilience.

A wrestler who possesses these qualities AND has the motivation and drive to become a SEAL has a greater chance for success than an individual who desires to achieve the same goal but doesn't have the background or experience in handling a similar type of stress and adversity.

There is also a flip side to this coin. Adequate preparation for SEAL training does not necessarily equate to readiness for the schooling needed to be a medical doctor or lawyer. The circumstances, motivations, disciplines, traits, and abilities widely differ.

Your passion for an endeavor contributes greatly to your ability to perform at a high level in any arena.

Your drive and obsession to achieve and become successful is probably one of the single most important attributes in accomplishing your goal and objective.

Resilience

Resilience is how we recover from stress. It is our ability to be stretched to or beyond our limits and then bounce back to our previous state of readiness.

It is widely associated with personal health and well-being. There are levels to this but for the sake of this post, I want to focus on recovery.

Resilience is what happens AFTER a critical event or difficult situation.

When the dust settles and we are through the event, our resilience is measured by our ability to recover back to our original performance baseline.

How quickly can you get back to the physical and mental state you were in before the specific event? This is your resilience. The more prepared you are, the faster you will recover.

In combat sports, "The punch you don't see coming is the one that knocks you out." This is obviously because you are blindsided and caught completely off guard. Resilience works similarly. The stress we don't see coming or are unable to account for is what will do the most damage.

Our preparation should adequately address the stresses of our chosen endeavor. The Specific Adaptation to an Imposed Demand (SAID) principle for performance training (think physical conditioning) highlights the accuracy needed for effective preparation.

The more we can mimic the physical AND mental challenges associated with what we are trying to accomplish through stress inoculation, the better the outcome.

How To Get Back In The Fight

The more prepared you are, the better you can reflect, course correct as necessary, and then get back into the fight. This is your process of recovery. 

I would argue that it is not enough to get back up after you suffer from a hit or a loss. To get back up and moving in a positive direction requires that you adhere to a process...

• Reflect — Quickly think about why you suffered the blow in the first place.

• Course Correct — Figure out how to get back up, and move forward with a new plan of action that you believe will lead to success.

• Commit — Move forward with intention and confidence.

Getting back up and immediately into the fight doesn't effectively address why you got knocked down in the first place.

Chances are, without the appropriate adjustments you will suffer the same fate again and again until you run out of steam. This isn't resilience. This is the definition of insanity.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, toughness is about preparation and ultimately increasing your original baseline standard of performance by leveraging the lessons learned from experience and becoming more resilient in the process.

Suppose we can increase our performance baseline before a critical event, endeavor, etc. In that case, we can be better prepared to move forward with the information available to us to execute more effectively. 

Our preparation increases our chances of recovering faster once the event is finished.

This concept is how both toughness and resilience work together to increase performance over time. Both are important and should equally be addressed for peak performance on demand.

Get Ready! Stay Ready!