Anyone who has achieved lasting success possesses mental toughness. Athletes, corporate executives, teachers, parents, students, entrepreneurs, authors... the field of expertise is irrelevant. The fact that an individual has excelled over the long run is sufficient evidence that he or she is mentally tough. There's no other way to attain persistent excellence. The road to enduring success is paved with obstacles.No one is spared the gauntlet. Mental toughness is required to overcome hurdles that threaten to derail us from our goals. This state of mind can literally mean the difference between success and failure. We'll distinguish the finer details in Part I: Fundamentals of Mental Toughness. For now, it's enough to understand the general principle: mental toughness is our durability in the face of adversity. You'll see this principle illustrated in greater detail as we examine the many facets of personal durability and resolve in Part II: Pivotal Factors in Developing Mental Toughness. We'll cover a lot of material in Part II. This section of the book moves quickly and includes plenty of exercises to help you apply what you've learned. Lastly, in Part III: A Quick-Start Guide to Becoming Mentally Tough, we'll go through a 10-step program for building you resilience from the ground up. You'll also learn how to maintain your newly-developed mentaltoughness throughout your life.