6 Core Habits of Mentally Strong People
Just like you exercise your core at the gym, they exercise their minds daily.
We all crave for a balanced personality. To handle situations in the best manner possible. To love and laugh in every moment possible. To live in the most fulfilling way possible.
All that, although we may not realize, is the mentally strong way of life.
And mentally strong people exist. My mom was one of them — Rest In Peace mom. She strived to make us happy with every ounce of strength in her. She faced struggles but never let them flaw her smile…umm laugh. She used to laugh really hard.
A special retail chain owner friend is another mentally strong person I can instantly think of. He’s outgoing, extremely down to earth but with an aura that still commands respect in everyone.
I can go on and on but this piece would be too long.
Nevertheless, one thing you should understand is that these people weren’t necessarily born that way. Otherwise, they’d possess a particular personality.
They come in different shades, diverse cultures plus statuses, and most importantly, varied personalities.
The thing is, just like you exercise your core at the gym, they exercise their mind daily. They strengthen their mind to overcome the next life challenge, to love even when there are no returns, to enjoy life in the best way they can with whatever they have.
We all can achieve that. If we embrace the habits of mentally strong people, the quality of our lives will increase more than we expected. And even if you can’t quantify it definitely, you can feel it.
Let’s check out the principal habits of mentally strong people —
1. They Practice Habits That Strengthen Their Particular Personality
Mentally strong people focus on practicing the self-improvement strategies that bring results for them rather than every new hack.
For instance:
- If something helps them improve their organization skills, it won’t matter how another hack is working for other people, they’ll stick with what works for them.
- If they do well with physical vision boards than digital types, they would focus on the former.
- If their productivity soars in the evening towards the night, they’ll do their priority tasks then — not in the morning which works for me and many other people.
- If yoga doesn’t make them relax, they don’t fight to make it work but instead, seek and embrace what works for them.
They constantly seek what works with their personality and persistently practice it.
2. They Bravely Embrace the Uncertainty of Life
The mentally strong hold onto uncertainty yet they seem like they are so in control. How do they do it? They overcome the fear of what’s lying ahead by believing everything will be okay as long as they do their part in the best way humanly possible.
The great Scottish poet, Robert Burns once said, “There’s no such uncertainty as a sure thing.” Countless smart successful people regurgitate the beauty of embracing uncertainty — which is all there is, but many people still refuse to and instead embrace the fear of the unknown.
And yet embracing uncertainty is one of the greatest habits that lead to a mentally strong character.
Think about it; you are in a challenging situation where you have enough information to act on a certain idea but you fear what’ll happen if you do act.
- You can choose to not act and wonder what if or —
- You can choose to do your best and let the information you get after to teach you and help you perform the next move.
The uncertainty of life provides us with a chance to learn. And the mentally strong know it’s the key to living a happy life.
3. They Maintain a Growth Mindset
Even though some mentally strong people don’t know Carol Dweck, a world-renowned psychologist who coined the term “growth mindset,” you can see it in their actions.
They don’t believe that they are set in their own ways and there’s no room for change. They don’t constantly try to prove who they are and what they are capable of, no. That’s the opposite of the growth mindset — the fixed mindset.
Mentally strong people wear the growth mindset on their sleeves. They believe they can get smarter as long as they keep learning.
These are the people you see with zero entrepreneur skills but after some years, make it in business.
These are the people who step out of the door as a single mom with no income to sustain them but come out of the dark phase with a balanced life in financial freedom.
These are the people who believe that with persistence, they can achieve anything they set out to accomplish. The mentally strong with a growth mindset.
4. They Don’t Mind Being Misunderstood
The strong in the mind never fear false perceptions of who they are. After all, not everyone in life will understand why you do what you do and most importantly, who you are as a person.
Mentally strong people would do what they think is right and the others will watch and point fingers. They’ll follow their heart, willing to look stupid, while the others stay in the sidelines. They’ll dance their hearts off while others spectate, judging what they see.
These strong people exude courage which they built bit by bit, by going for what they want no matter what. And even with much stumbling, they often achieve success. They make it to their dreams while their onlookers marvel,
“He/she knew what he/she was doing all along.”
This is the way of life of the mentally strong. Staying okay with being misunderstood.
5. They Stay Vulnerable
The mentally strong don’t hide behind masks. They reveal their true self, even though there are no guarantees of a positive outcome.
Although vulnerability is the best source of an amazing life, the mentally weak shy from it. They would do anything they know to evade revealing their authentic self. This creates an imbalance that affects their happiness and ultimately, every aspect of their lives.
But the mentally strong practice vulnerability both consciously and subconsciously. They choose the hard decision to expose themselves ever day.
And this is why they attract successful people. They attract other people who are good at what they do in various areas and their growth mindset helps them learn all sorts of things that lead them to a balanced life.
Their vulnerability also encourages courage in other people who are stuck in various closets. Just think of someone who brings positive change in people. That’s probably a mentally strong person.
6. They Are Okay with Losing an Argument
Mentally weak people are insecure. They think losing an argument brands them as “lifelong stupid.” So they grapple with any information that makes them look smart and endlessly try to win arguments.
I’ve been mentally weak in this aspect for the most part of my life. But I’m working on it. I want to be silent when it counts.
This doesn’t apply to everyone who tries to make someone else understand a fact though. Intentions are different.
However, mentally strong people are secure with what they know and let someone win the argument even when they’re wrong. This is common especially if they’re dealing with someone with a less-informed perception or a stubborn disagreeable tendency.
This is one of the most incredible habits I realized about the mentally strong. They could be super smart yet so humble you’ll want them to be your friend.
The mentally strong would tell you that their overall life is amazing if not work in progress. They look at life through a positivity lens and therefore enjoy every part of their growth. And you can do it too.
While practicing the habits that work for you, embracing the unknown by maintaining the growth mindset, staying willing to be misunderstood, don’t fear to live vulnerably, and sometimes let the other person win an argument. Once you start embracing these habits, you too can be mentally strong.
Also, don’t forget to surround yourself with anyone you find these habits in. The mentally strong are the true definition of success, no matter where they are in life.
