Optimism
Dr. Michael Gervais: At the Center of Mental Toughness
1 min read · 5.7.2025
“Optimism—something amazing is about to happen—is at the center of mental toughness.
“A map for it:
(1) mental toughness is the ability to stay in it when it’s tough; just be flexible, take it, and bear it;
(2) optimism is the fundamental belief it’s going to work out, I need to do my part.
“So now we are going to take locus of control, wire it with optimism, and then we are going to layer it on to self-talk, and then we can wrap around it with our philosophical tone of how we want to do us;
and then we can fill it up with the bunch of other psychological skills.
“And then, part of the framework is like uh, wait a minute, this is actually where I meet myself, here, who I want to be.
“This is why mindfulness is so important, who do you really want to be?
“I want to be a part of people who are so tough that they can be flexible, they can be vulnerable, they can be nimble.
“They can adjust, they can pivot, they can create on demand, they can let go, they can laugh, they can stay in it—
I want to be part of those tribes.”
References:
Dr. Michael Gervais. Uncovering Peak Performance and Maximizing Human Potential with Dr. Michael Gervais. Flow Research Collective. Apple Podcast. Episode 10. 2021
Dr. Michael Gervais. Develop a Peak Performance Mindset with Dr. Michael Gervais. YT Channel: Steven Kotler. 2023.
