Have you ever wondered why some people are able to stick to their workouts, while others give up after a week?

How certain people, like famous athletes, writers or leaders, have reached such high levels of success?

Apparently, it's not really about your intelligence or your talent. It's about your mental toughness.

A study done on United States Military cadets supports this idea. Every year, cadets are put through a summer initiation program known as “Beast Barracks.” The intense obstacle course is meant to test the cadets' physical, emotional and mental strength.

What the researchers found was quite interesting.

It was not the cadets' intelligence and leadership potential that predicted if they'd successfully complete the “Beast Barracks.” Instead, it was their level of grit, or their perseverance and passion to achieve long–term goals, that mattered most.

To clarify, being mentally tough is not about acting tough.

Those with real grit are aware and in control of themselves, but they don't suppress their emotions. Because they're in touch with their feelings, they don't let their feelings get the best of them.

Mentally strong people also understand that failure is to be expected. They realize some of the most important lessons are learned from failure, but they don't let missteps or mistakes stop them from achieving their end goals.

They don't let fear get in the way of what they want.

Being mentally tough isn't a trait you're born with; it's something most successful people work hard to maintain.

In a society obsessed with being physically fit, we should be even more concerned with our mental strength.

Just like your body, you should treat your brain like a muscle. You should exercise a couple times a week as well exercising and building your mental toughness.

We're all guilty of being mentally weak in the face of new adversities, but let's not beat ourselves up about it.

To learn some tips on how to increase your grit, watch the video above.

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