Mental Fitness

by Scott Hughes

Mental fitness refers to how well you have prepared your mind and your knowledge for the obstacles you may face. The more likely any given obstacle or problem that may occur, the more you need to prepare for it. For example, if you do not know how to build a television, that may not matter much if you most likely will never need to know how. However, if you do not know how to swim, but live in an area prone to flood, then you need to start learning.

Here at we often stress the importance of fitness. Some people may mistake that as only referring to physical fitness. However, Warriorism involves all around fitness. In addition to physical fitness, mental fitness represents a large part of fitness.

To gain mental fitness, you may want to know the different types of mental fitness.

Mental Fitness ~ Knowledge

Knowledge refers to what you know. This includes simple facts and bits of information or trivia, such as knowing the birth date of an important figure in history. It also includes understanding ideas, bodies of knowledge, and conceptual systems, such as knowing how to speak an entire language or having a firm understanding of computer science. You can find almost infinite knowledge, but you need to know depends on what you have to do in your life. For example, a small business owner from an American suburb has different knowledge-needs than a schoolteacher in an inner-city.

Mental Fitness ~ Common Sense & Judgment

Personally, I think our society overuses the idea of common sense, especially considering the uncommonness of "common sense." Nonetheless, common sense refers to a general ability to make good use of all your mental facilities in practice. Sometimes a person can have many strong mental abilities, but they make stupid mistakes or have lapses of judgment. You can increase your practical judgment or common sense by staying alert and sober, which you can do by getting enough sleep, eating healthy, and avoiding drugs, alcohol, and other unhealthy behaviors.

Mental Fitness ~ Mental Fortitude

By mental fortitude, I refer to all those aspects of mental fitness that involve actually using your mind and knowledge. This includes concentration, self-control, and mental perseverance. Your mind makes all the decisions for the rest of you. If you have mentally weaknesses, then that nullifies the rest of your strength. You could have a lot of knowledge or physical strength, but it won't do any good unless you have mental fortitude to use it to its fullest without giving up.

I hope this article answered all of your questions about mental fitness. If you have any remaining questions, or if you have any comments or suggestions, please post them in our Warrior Forums.

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Quote of the Month: "Your work is to discover your work and then with all your heart to give yourself to it." - Buddha