We all reach critical points in our lives where our mental toughness is tested. It might be a toxic friend or colleague, a dead-end job, or a struggling relationship.

Whatever the challenge, you have to be strong, see things through a new lens, and take decisive action if you want to move through it successfully.

It sounds easy. We all want good friends, good jobs, and good relationships.

But it isn’t.

It’s hard to be mentally tough, especially when you feel stuck. The ability to break the mold and take a bold new direction requires that extra grit, daring, and spunk that only the mentally toughest people have.

It’s fascinating how mentally tough people set themselves apart from the crowd. Where others see impenetrable barriers, they see challenges to overcome.

There are habits you can develop to improve your mental toughness. In fact, the hallmarks of mentally tough people are actually strategies that you can begin using today.

1. They’re Emotionally Intelligent
Emotional intelligence is the cornerstone of mental toughness. You cannot be mentally tough without the ability to fully understand and tolerate strong negative emotions and do something productive with them. Moments that test your mental toughness are ultimately testing your emotional intelligence (EQ).

2. They’re Confident
“Whether you think you can, or think you can’t—you’re right.” — Henry Ford
Mentally tough people subscribe to Ford’s notion that your mentality has a powerful effect on your ability to succeed. True confidence—as opposed to the false confidence people project to mask their insecurities—has a look all its own. Mentally tough people have an upper hand over the doubtful and the skittish because their confidence inspires others and helps them to make things happen.

3. They Neutralize Toxic People
Dealing with difficult people is frustrating and exhausting for most. Mentally tough people control their interactions with toxic people by keeping their feelings in check. When they need to confront a toxic person, they approach the situation rationally. They identify their emotions and don’t allow anger or frustration to fuel the chaos. They also consider the difficult person’s standpoint and are able to find common ground and solutions to problems. Even when things completely derail, mentally tough people are able to take the toxic person with a grain of salt to avoid letting him or her bring them down.

4. They Embrace Change
Mentally tough people are flexible and are constantly adapting. They know that fear of change is paralyzing and a major threat to their success and happiness. They look for change that is lurking just around the corner, and they form a plan of action should these changes occur.

Only when you embrace change can you find the good in it. You need to have an open mind and open arms if you’re going to recognize, and capitalize on, the opportunities that change creates.

5. They Say No
Research showed that the more difficulty you have saying no, the more likely you are to experience stress, burnout, and even depression. Mentally tough people know that saying no is healthy, and they have the self-esteem and foresight to make their nos clear.

6. They Know That Fear Is the No. 1 Source of Regret
Mentally tough people know that, when all is said and done, they will lament the chances they didn’t take far more than they will their failures. Don’t be afraid to take risks.
People often say, “What’s the worst thing that can happen to you? Will it kill you?” Yet, death isn’t the worst thing that can happen to you.

The worst thing that can happen to you is allowing yourself to die inside while you’re still alive.

7. They Embrace Failure…
Mentally tough people embrace failure because they know that the road to success is paved with it. No one ever experienced true success without first embracing failure. The biggest breakthroughs typically come when you’re feeling the most frustrated and the most stuck. It’s this frustration that forces you to think differently, to look outside the box, and to see the solution that you’ve been missing.

8. …Yet, They Don’t Dwell on Mistakes
Mentally tough people know that where you focus your attention determines your emotional state. When you fixate on the problems that you’re facing, you create and prolong negative emotions and stress, which hinders performance. When you focus on actions to better yourself and your circumstances, you create a sense of personal efficacy, which produces positive emotions and improves performance.

9. They Won’t Let Anyone Limit Their Joy…
When your sense of pleasure and satisfaction are derived from comparing yourself to others, you are no longer the master of your own happiness. When mentally tough people feel good about something they do, they won’t let anyone’s opinions or accomplishments take that away from them.

10. …And They Don’t Limit the Joy of Others
Mentally tough people don’t pass judgment on others because they know that everyone has something to offer, and they don’t need to take other people down a notch in order to feel good about themselves.

Comparing yourself to other people is limiting. Jealousy and resentment suck the life right out of you; they’re massive energy-stealers. Mentally tough people don’t waste time or energy sizing people up and worrying about whether or not they measure up.

11. They Exercise
A study conducted at the Eastern Ontario Research Institute found that people who exercised twice a week for 10 weeks felt more socially, intellectually, and athletically competent. They also rated their body image and self-esteem higher. Best of all, rather than the physical changes in their bodies being responsible for the uptick in confidence, which is key to mental toughness, it was the immediate, endorphin-fueled positivity from exercise that made all the difference.

12. They Get Enough Sleep
It’s difficult to overstate the importance of sleep to increasing your mental toughness. When you sleep, your brain removes toxic proteins, which are by-products of neural activity when you’re awake. Unfortunately, your brain can remove them adequately only while you’re asleep, so when you don’t get enough sleep, the toxic proteins remain in your brain cells, wreaking havoc by impairing your ability to think—something no amount of caffeine can fix.

13. They Limit Their Caffeine Intake
Drinking excessive amounts of caffeine triggers the release of adrenaline, the source of the fight-or-flight response. The fight-or-flight mechanism sidesteps rational thinking in favor of a faster response to ensure survival. This is great when a bear is chasing you but not so great when life throws you a curve.

14. They Don’t Wait for an Apology to Forgive
Mentally tough people know that life goes a lot smoother once you let go of grudges and forgive even those who never said they were sorry. Grudges let negative events from your past ruin today’s happiness. Hate and anger are emotional parasites that destroy your joy in life.

15. They’re Relentlessly Positive
Keep your eyes on the news for any length of time, and you’ll see that it’s just one endless cycle of war, violent attacks, fragile economies, failing companies, and environmental disasters. It’s easy to think the world is headed downhill fast.

The Teachers Service Commission is advertising 5,000 posts for recruitment of additional teachers (2,338 posts for primary school teachers and 2,662 posts for post primary teachers). Eligible candidates should meet the following basic requirements:

1. Be Kenya citizens.
2. Must be 45 years of age and below.
3. Must have original Professional and Academic Certificates.
4. Must be registered with the Teachers Service Commission.

Applicants applying for posts in Primary schools must be holders of P1 certificate.

Interested candidates should apply to the TSC County Director, in the County where a vacancy has been advertised and submit all relevant academic and professional documents.

Those who had applied earlier and were unsuccessful must apply afresh since a new merit list for 2015/2016 financial year will be generated.

Applicants applying for posts in Post Primary institutions must be holders of a minimum of Diploma in Education.

Interested candidates should apply to the Secretary, Board of Management of the School/Institution where the vacancy has been advertised and submit a copy to the TSC County Director not later than 31st July 2015.

The Teachers Service Commission is an equal opportunity employer and people with disability are encouraged to apply.

The Teachers Service Commission will only deal with TSC County Selection Panels and Boards of Management in this exercise.

Individual application to the Commission will NOT be considered. Successful candidates should fill employment Form in only one station.

Caution: The recruitment exercise is free of charge.

The Teachers Service Commission would wish to forewarn applicants against fraudsters who might extort money from unsuspecting persons purporting to assist in recruitment.

Any fraudulent activity should be reported to the nearest Police Station, TSC County Directors, Sub County Staffing Officers or to Teachers Service Commission headquarters through the following hotlines between 8.00 a.m. and 5.00 p.m.

Director (Teacher Management) Tel:0202892193
• Senior Deputy Director (Teacher Management Primary) Tel:0202892132
• Senior Deputy Director (Teacher Management Post Primary) Tel:0202892137
• OR Write to the Commission through the email address [email protected].

For detailed information on available vacancies in sub-counties and schools/Institutions applicant are advised to:

a) Visit the TSC Website Teachers Service Commission ;
b) Visit the TSC office at the County or Sub-County of their choice.

Nancy Njeri Macharia, OGW
Secretary/Chief Executive