Though success may typically be attributed to intellect, strategy, talent or even genetics, there's one aspect of high achievement which can easily be overlooked... mental toughness.

But why does it matter? Well, it's true to say that your mind plays a huge role in how you navigate your day to day experiences.

In fact, how you think makes all the difference to how you see the world, yourself, and those around you. Your thought patterns even determine how you respond to and interpret stressful events.

So with that in mind, it's fair to say that if you want to succeed in life, giving some consideration to mental toughness will be in your best interest.

And if you don't...

If you've not yet managed to read, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, by Dr. Carol Dweck, I'd highly recommend getting your hands on a copy as soon as you can.

Throughout it's pages, Dweck, a Stanford University psychologist, defines two types of mindset; a fixed mindset and a growth mindset.

By her definition, if you have a fixed mindset, you'll believe your abilities are fixed, innate and unchangeable. In contrast, with a growth mindset, you'll believe you're able to improve your abilities with hard work and effort.

Whether in a personal or professional capacity, with these two definitions, it'd be fair to say we'd all benefit from developing a growth...

Fear can be crippling. It has the potential to stunt growth, limit progress, and derail dreams and ambitions. It’s also real and more common than many care to admit.

Not only is it real, it looks different and shows up in our lives in different ways. For some it hides behind perfectionism, for others, it becomes more evident in their procrastination.

In some cases, fear can have physical effects; tightness in the chest, fatigue or ongoing illness. In other instances it can lead to unhealthy or destructive behaviours, like alcoholism or overworking.

Whatever your relationship with fear, or however it shows up for you, here are three helpful strategies you can use to...