Developing Mental Strength: Keys to Success and Resilience
Have you ever wondered how some people are able to achieve such greatness in their life? They’re knocking out their goals and living the successful life that you’ve always dreamed of. You see them publishing book after book or taking their startup to amazing heights while you’re just barely able to make it through the day. Do you want to know what gives them the upper hand? It’s called mental strength. It’s the ability to discipline yourself to always stay the course and remain focused on what you set out to accomplish.
The good news is anyone can acquire mental strength. With it, you will be able to regulate your emotions, manage your thoughts, and behave in a positive manner, no matter the circumstances. To develop mental strength, you must find the courage to live differently than others by staying true to your values and being bold enough to work toward your vision.
It’s not easy.
Mental strength involves more than just willpower; it requires dedication and discipline.
It’s requires establishing healthy mental and emotional habits. Although it’s easy to feel mentally strong when everything is going your way, the real magic happens when the odds are against you. It’s those unfortunate and unexpected events in life that have the power to push you down if you permit them.
You can either cave into the situation or you can give yourself a moment to recover, brush the dust off, and get back up. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t feel the weight and turmoil when a tragedy or unfortunate event occurs. It just means that once you’ve developed mental strength, you don’t allow these inevitable obstacles to prevent you from moving forward towards your dreams.
There are many exercises you can do to develop mental strength, here’s just a few:
Revisit Your Values and Belief Systems
The core beliefs we’ve developed about ourselves and the world around us aren’t necessarily the beliefs that we have to keep. These beliefs often evolve from past experiences, but you shouldn’t let these beliefs define who you are as a person or who you want to become. You always have the choice in how you perceive things Take this moment to evaluate and realign your belief systems. Your views about the world and your place in it is fundamental in shaping you mentally.
If you see the world as dark and gloomy, filled with noise and pollution, and if you concentrate only on the negative acts that some people do, then your outlook on life will be grim. Your expectations of the world in general and of yourself would be low. However if you were able to view the world as a miracle, if you took the time to celebrate often overlooked gems like the sunshine or rain, if you could shift your focus to seeking out the positive acts of kindness that most people do, then your mindset about the world would be brighter and your expectations and efforts to contribute to that world would be higher.
On a personal level, if you’ve told yourself you’re not going to succeed in life, don’t expect yourself to amount to anything. But if you redefine that right now and tell yourself you are worthy of greatness and you truly embrace that belief in the depths of your soul, then you’ll have discarded that negative mindset and replaced it with something empowering that no one can take away from you.
Negativity will drain you and pull you away from your vision at every turn, so you cannot afford to let negative thoughts or perspectives creep up. It’s easy to join the pity party and get lost in your shortcomings. However, you cannot let yourself do that if you want to have a champion’s mindset and achieve your dreams. You’ve got to replace any negative thoughts with positive ones. Focus on what you’re good at. Focus on becoming a better version of yourself, and don’t look back unless it’s to celebrate how far you’ve come.
Identifying, evaluating, and modifying your core beliefs requires purposeful intention, and when successfully done it can change the course of your entire life. Just remember you will find whatever you search for, so let positivity steer your course.
Using Your Mental Energy Where It’s Needed Most
We all know there are many things that are complete brain drains, so learn to steer clear from them. From getting involved in toxic conversations to worrying about things outside of your control, these unproductive detours not only cause mental exhaustion but are absolute time wasters. You can avoid these things by focusing on what is important such as setting goals and problem solving. When your mindset has shifted more toward being productive driven then you will make a conscious effort to expend your energy where it matters most.
Keeping in Touch with Your Emotions
Just because you’re mentally strong doesn’t mean you lack emotions. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Being mentally strong requires you to be in tune with your emotions, thus allowing you to respond with self-control even in situations that may cause you anxiety. By challenging yourself to experience discomfort and overcome your fears, you grow stronger and learn to exert higher levels of self-control. Such challenges are important because to grow as a person you must put yourself in situations outside of your comfort zone.
By being in touch with your emotions, you can learn how to gradually push forward while accepting your emotions without letting them take you off your chosen path. Over time as your confidence grows and you enhance your mental strength, balancing your emotions and your actions becomes easier.
Check in with Yourself Daily
Just like a little kid who needs to hear praise, you need to congratulate yourself on your wins—big or small. Your mindset needs reinforcing. Make time to reflect on your progress daily to keep your mental strength in tip top shape. Consider what you’ve learned about your thoughts, emotions, and how you’ve responded to incidents throughout the day. Could you have done something better? Did you react to a trying circumstance better today than you might have in the past? This process of self-assessment allows you to improve daily and reinforces your ability to reach your definition of success.
