Are You Mentally Strong?

Whether you are an athlete, in the middle of a health crisis, or just having a bad day at work, there are times you’ll need to pull strength from your inner core.  Finding that extra energy that gets you where you need to go is a skill you can develop through awareness.

Everyone needs plenty of fortitude to survive and thrive in today’s world. Although we constantly receive spiritual assistance, sometimes our rational mind blocks the belief that our needs will always be met by The Universe when going through difficult times. Prickly relationships or a lack of abundance are common situations that always help us develop determination and courage which is the foundation of mental strength.

People who are mentally strong share similar qualities.  If you recognize these ideas, and give them bigger space to grow in your life, you will feel empowered and be able to celebrate almost any experience when the going gets tough.

Mentally strong people:

1. Move forward and don’t waste time feeling sorry for themselves. When they hit a bump in the road, they acknowledge it, and chalk it up to receiving a life lesson. They look beyond the circumstance and don’t get stuck in unforgiveness or failure because they realize there is absolutely nothing that can be done to change the past. It’s over and any energy spent dwelling on it or in it is a wasted resource that can be put toward making positive change.

2. Embrace challenges and focus on the process. Anything worth having usually requires tremendous effort. They understand that success in any corner of life requires a strong and consistent work ethic that adapts to shifting conditions.

3. Stay happy because they don’t waste time and energy on controlling people. They see life filled with wonder and joy but also respect the interesting matrix of uncertainties. They understand relationships are complex and people cannot be controlled.  Mentally strong people know they can never change another person, only experience them, because a person must desire to improve themselves.

4. Do their best to project kindness, practice fairness, and are unafraid to speak up. A mentally strong person sees the big picture and rises above petty situations. When they see injustice, they speak to their truth, and have the character and integrity to support their opinion. Generosity is their strong suit.

5. Are willing to take calculated risks. They believe achievement does not happen by accident and do their best to analyze the best course of action to get there. They have an intention to succeed and are willing to make the best and most informed choice possible in every situation, knowing that sometimes they may not win the day.

6. Celebrate their own success with an attitude of gratitude and humility. They are worldly enough to see the benefit in other people’s success and don’t resent it, but use it as a means to motivate and elevate themselves to the next level, wherever that may be.

7. Make being their own personal or organizational “best” the goal, not just being better than others. They create value by looking within and focusing on what they do well and develop those ideas and skills accordingly. Trying to be better than someone without any understanding of what they do well, does not allow for exceptional growth.  Success is always a consequence of personal and spiritual growth, as well as timing and outside influences beyond their control. Mentally strong people focus on their talents and put the time in to just get better.

Create a Winning Mentality

Not long ago, before a very large competition, I was feeling very unempowered and using the wrong imagery to motivate myself. My dear friend, Dawn told me that we should never set our sights on being better than a specific person.  We need to focus on a goal, harness the power of our desire, and use it to overcome our fears of failure.  More importantly, she said, making yourself the best should be your goal, not comparing yourself to a specific individual.  Be mentally strong first, and get your head in order.

After offering me this wisdom, she said learning or achieving goes in stages.  That you can work on one tiny thing for months and months with no result, and then one day, you wake up and you can do it because it has become part of you. Often, you can’t force the rate of how much you can take in to better yourself in any field of expertise. What pushes you over the high jump bar is a consistent attitude, and the belief that information turns into knowledge which turns into skill by practicing mental strength.  All that you are attempting to be is there inside you, just waiting to be born. Have confidence, she said, that it’s going to happen. I applied this advice in the next competition, and felt stronger, more peaceful, and was able to produce results.

Mental strong people love to win, and usually do, but they know that life is not about winning. It is not about squashing the competition or making more money than anyone else or feeling superior. It is about learning and doing more and achieving more, while knowing who you are.  It is about enjoying what you do and inspiring others to pursue their dreams.  Winning, or any form of success, is the blessing that happens when the stars and moons are properly aligned and when your heart is fully committed to a goal. Develop the qualities of mental strength and apply them to every corner of your life.  I believe you will feel more joyful and be able to attract success!

Copyright Charlene M Proctor, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved. 2015