The leaders in our lives, those we look up to, whom we rely on to make those tough calls. They are fit, they are ready. In the same way as you’d see an athlete and admire their stamina on the track, there’s a lot that goes into being mentally strong. In short, there’s a lot of work that goes into being mentally strong, a whole curriculum of groundwork that makes you ready to deal with whatever life has to throw at you.
If you want to be mentally fit, you have to work on building your mental strength.
Here are seven ways to exercise your mental strength to get you match-fit for any obstacle.
1. There’s always a storm coming.
It’s essential, no matter what your post in life is, to presume that you are ready for whatever storm may oppose you. Life is messy, and chances are, you will face your share of adversity standing up for what you believe in. As a preliminary step , it’s worth while presuming that whatever you stand for will see some form of push-back. Now, nobody’s saying to live in a perpetual state of stand-offishness, ready for battle. Just remember the basic principles you believe in and be able to defend them reasonably.
2. Adversity is not your enemy.
Those times in life when it seems like you’ve been presented with a great big, unclimbable wall, just remember… this is an opportunity, not a road block. Nobody has ever risen as a figure of note by avoiding adversity. In fact, it’s rather the opposite, every major challenge that appears before you is an opportunity to add to your repertoire of skills. Next time you see a wall, don’t retreat, grab it, and climb it.
3. The mind needs exercise.
A healthy way to treat your mind, is in the same way as you’d see in any from of fitness. Your mental resilience is like any other muscle, and is worth pushing when you can. Challenge yourself regularly, allow yourself to engage with hardship, don’t run away from it. This doesn’t just mean only the spicy parts of life, you can exercise your mind by practicing mindfulness. Just as the Kung Fu master perfects combat, so do they master meditation.
4. Success is not a clear path.
It’s all too easy to imagine ourselves stepping from step to step in our lives but the reality is that it just doesn’t work like that. The true strength is in being able to move from failure to failure, but taking some lesson from each failure will leave you stronger every time. Take your lesson, and move onto the next chapter.
5. Actively seek solutions.
How far would you get with a Rubik’s cube if all you could focus on is the wild mess of colors? Not very far at all. Switching your mindset to being solution focused rather than problem focused will mean all the difference. It’s the difference between staying in a passive defense position and taking a proactive offence position with whatever you’re facing. If your flowers aren’t blooming, look to the soil, don’t just rip the flowers out.
6. “Can’t” is not an option.
There are times in life when “can” and “can’t” are important. Times when your personal politics come into play, or when your better judgement is the deciding factor, those make sense. When it’s a question of “I can do this”, or the alternative, it’s a mark of a strong mind who can push through and defy the doubt, and just keep chasing the end goal. You’ll get there, and the view will be spectacular when you do.
7. Fear is not your master.
As humans, as much as we like to deny it, we are all ruled to some degree by fear. Fear of loss, of rejection, of failure, these all pressure us along our paths. The key is in having a healthy relationship with fear. Fear is actually healthy, it tells us when we’re out of our depths. The problem is, it can be a little trigger happy. Know when you are capable, know when you can succeed, and don’t let fear dictate your choices. Fortune favors the bold, not the bashful.
How do you exercise your mental strength?
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
