3 things that all mentally strong people do

The state of our mind is the state of our reality. When we are mentally strong, the reality we create for ourselves is beautiful. When we are mentally weak, then the outcome of our reality is unpleasant and out of balance. Most successful people become successful by channelling the powers of their minds in the right direction. Here are three aspects that you need to cultivate in order to make your mind strong and your life blissful:

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Develop your emotional intelligence

Writing for Entrepreneur, Travis Bradberry, co-author of Emotional Intelligence 2.0, “Emotional intelligence is the cornerstone of mental strength. Moments that test your mental strength are ultimately testing your emotional intelligence (EQ).”

Emotions, thanks to over-the-top TV soaps and anti-mind movies, have earned a bad name. Conditioned thus, when we call someone emotional or think of ourselves as emotional beings, we imply that we either cry at the drop of a hat or behave irrationally in our estimation of most situations. In today’s twisted world, an emotional being is seen as a weakling, someone who can be easily taken advantage of. This fear leads many people to keep their emotions locked-up in chains. This locking-up leads to an internal build-up almost volcanic in nature and when it erupts, it affects everyone.

In order to function in a balanced way, we must learn to understand our emotions, not supress them. They exist for a reason. Their real intent is to serve as our moral compass by helping us know right from wrong. In order to put emotions back on their throne, we must begin with gaining knowledge of our reactions, their causes, and their effects. This means taking responsibility of how we treat ourselves and others. By understanding the true nature of our emotions – love, fear, guilt, and care – we allow ourselves to function as free individuals. However, when we ignore how we really feel, we develop what I call Emotional Insanity (EI), a trait that’s uncharacteristic of mentally evolved individuals.

Learning from mistakes

Mentally strong people focus on learning from their mistakes. If to err is human, then to un-err is human too. When we make a mistake, we display two things – lack of knowledge or lack of care, or both. For instance, an entrepreneur might possess the knowledge of how mining disturbs the natural rhythm of our planet, but might still go ahead and put heavy drills inside the Earth. On the other hand, an entrepreneur might be caring in his or her attitude, but lack the knowledge of the true effects of mining and thus go ahead with it anyway.

In order to learn from our mistakes, we must first accept that a mistake has been made. Once we acknowledge that, it becomes easier to undo it or ensure that the same mistake is not repeated. It must also be noted that mistakes don’t have to pave the road to success. True success comes from real knowledge and care, and a mentally strong person strives to gain both.

Learn to say NO

According to an article on Forbes, “When it’s time to say no, mentally tough people avoid phrases such as ‘I don’t think I can’ or ‘I’m not certain.’ They say no with confidence because they know that saying no to a new commitment honours their existing commitments and gives them the opportunity to successfully fulfil them.”

No one knows when saying no became a sign of rudeness. No is in fact a power tool, and to say so is our birth right. When you find yourself saying yes when you should actually be saying no, know that it’s not going to make you happy, or for that matter take you far. When you say no, you display your ability to correctly judge a situation. It might involve you saying no to a client who wants you to work on Sunday or to your boss for making you work beyond the designated hours. Learning to say no might seem hard at first, but once you know when and how to say it, it’ll make your life easy. In fact, if you do a little research, you will know that most things that are wrong with the world today are so because someone somewhere could not say no to them.

A mentally strong person is driven first by an inner will, and later by discipline and consistency. Therefore, in order to become mentally strong, you must first cultivate the will to do so.