A Strong Mind Gives You A Strong Life

‘If you have a strong mind and you plant in it a firm resolve, you can change your destiny.’ P. Yogananda.

We are all tempted to give up, particularly when going through stressful times. We might be in a season of life when we have so much pressure and negativity in our emotional, physical, or relational spheres. When going through these times, we need to reach within ourselves for the desire to persevere. We need to fight the battle one more day. This is when one needs to develop a strong mind. How you handle difficulties is a measure of how strong your mind and determines how strong you really are.

When your mind is strong, you do not give in to the pressures of life. You do not fold when adversity strikes. Instead, you build resilience against every single wave, bouncing back from every failure you encounter. A strong mind allows you to draw back, not in powerless retreat, but in the mode to regroup and to rebuild. 

Strength in your mind translates to strength in every other area of your life. When one’s mental strength is intact, their psychological strength follows suit. You handle disappointments differently. A strong mind makes for a powerful life where one does not throw in the towel or hold on to painful seasons of betrayal, loss and rejection. Not that being mentally strong protects you from experiencing pain. It just helps you develop a thicker coat. You go through the emotions, but you do not allow them to dictate the rest of your life. You accept the situation but do not allow it to dominate your every waking moment or govern the next step.

Mental strength is an inner quality that one has to develop for themselves. It is not something one is born with. You gain a strong mind by deliberately building it every day through the experiences you gather.

We associate a strong mind with qualities such as grit, persistence, resilience, emotional control and a positive attitude. None of these happen by chance. Someone has to train their mind repeatedly to have such qualities. They have to go through different tests and emerge bruised but stronger because of it.

Characteristics of a strong mind:

Confidence.

When your mind is strong, you believe in the impossible. It becomes easier to accept daunting tasks that no one else has the stomach for. Insurmountable tasks change into exciting challenges that you cannot wait to tackle, even when there is a risk of failure. Every time you win, it builds your confidence to go out and try harder challenges. A person with a strong mind believes that they can do whatever they put their minds to, and often, that is true.

Courage.         

‘Courage is the tendency to see life’s obstacles as challenges that should be met rather than threats that should be avoided.’ Michael Hyatt.

Having courage starts with a conversation in your mind. When you have a task before you that brings out elements such as fear, anxiety and insecurity, you can do them without flinching if you have developed a strong mind. Instead of hiding behind safety and the comfort of not failing, you become brave enough to try, even when you may fall flat on your face. A strong mind makes you courageous enough to tackle any obstacle that sets itself in your path.

Commitment.

People are often unsuccessful because they lack commitment to their deepest values. A strong mind ties you to the things that matter to you. Do not discard them for other pursuits just because the path to your dreams is rocky. Commit to doing all that you can to achieve your goals. You become relentless until success is a given. A strong mind makes you commit to finding solutions to any challenges you face.

Control.

‘He that has no control over his own mind is like a city broken down with no walls.’ Proverb.

Having control of the way you react to certain adverse situations is a powerful tool that can help you overcome different struggles. It is like a superpower because few people possess the quality to keep their emotions in check. Control is important because it reduces your vulnerability to negative circumstances. A strong mind keeps negativity in line.

Purpose.

‘The tragedy of life does not lie in not reaching your goals, the tragedy lies in not having any goals to reach. It is not a calamity to die with dreams unfulfilled, but it is a calamity not to dream. It is not a disaster to fail to capture your ideals, but it is a disaster to have no ideals to capture. It is not a disgrace not to reach the stars, but it is a disgrace to have no stars to reach.’ Dr. Benjamin Mays.

Strong-minded people have a dedication that stems from having a purpose that drives them. A strong mind does not allow you to live a life of chance, where you stand on the sidelines and watch things unfold. It does not allow for a directionless existence. 

The mind is like muscle. To make it strong, you must do the daily workouts. You must feed it with the right nutrients such as positivity, creativity and possibility. Do not let your mind weaken because you do not feed it well. Develop it daily. Find out what makes it strong. It will guarantee you of a strong life where you are unbreakable.