On the surface yesterday’s Toughness Tuesday challenge along with last week’s had nothing to do with wrestling. Yesterday’s challenge was to go out and meet as many strangers as possible and to record their names. Last week, the challenge was to take a 5 minute shower as cold as possible.

I wrongly assumed that everyone would see the parallels between these non-wrestling challenges and wrestling until my mom asked me why the heck we were having people take a freezing cold shower and meet strangers.

So how exactly does initiating a conversation with a stranger or taking a cold shower make you a better wrestler?

We are in the business of helping people get comfortable being uncomfortable.

It is uncomfortable to push through a wrestling match when you are dead tired. It is uncomfortable wrestling off a teammate that is your best friend. It is uncomfortable trying to sleep when you are cutting weight before a championship competition.

The same goes with each of our Toughness Tuesday challenges. It is uncomfortable taking a freezing cold shower, starting a conversation with a stranger, or holding a 5 minute plank.

The bottom line is that you need to be comfortable in uncomfortable situations. Adversity will strike in matches, in your training and in life. The best wrestlers and athletes have learned to be comfortable in uncomfortable situations.

Every Toughness Tuesday is just another opportunity to build Mental Toughness & Confidence in the way you train and live. Do it consistently and you will start becoming more comfortable in uncomfortable situations.