Mental toughness not an inherited X Factor

Mental toughness not an inherited X Factor

Auckland, March 17 2015: Wannabe stars, like “X Factor” contestant Joe Irvine, could be toughened up before being exposed to the rigours of reality TV.

Foresight’s Jamie Ford has an international reputation as a thought leader in resilience and mental toughness. He says it is not just top sports people and artists who can benefit from training to take knocks and keep focused on their goals.

Ford says “attitude” is not something that is genetic, but comes mainly from accidental learning unless a quite deliberate and science-based process is implemented to develop it. Related to that, Ford says New Zealand’s often lauded “number eight wire” mentality, which means Kiwis can turn their hand to doing just about anything, is being rapidly dumbed down.

“People are constantly surprised when I tell them that we can actually measure “attitude”, that there’s a scientific process to it and we can help them develop it,” Ford says. “I will help Joe Irvine for free if he wants my assistance. It may help him deal with the ongoing effects of what has happened.”

Last year Golf Digest asked Jamie Ford to share his science-based tools with players at a tournament and shared the results in an article called “The Grit Factor” in October. Golf Digest is the world’s leadingsports maga-zine, with six million readers in the United States and another 1.75 million readers among 28 interna-tional editions.

The Australian Rugby Union is one that has called on his skills, as well as the Australian Government at its highest levels. In New Zealand Foresight has an impressive list of past and present clients too and he reaches others through his popular short course “Mental Toughness” at the University of Auckland’s business school.

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