Being mentally strong can have profound effects on your entire life. When you are mentally strong, you are able to persevere during tough times, and continue to press ahead when you are succeeding.
Here are 7 things mentally strong people refuse to do. When you work on getting rid of these destructive, self-sabotaging habits, you’ll be amazed at the positive effects in your life.
1. They don’t always say that everything’s fine.
The mentally strong admit to themselves when they’re not fine. They realize this is the first step to making changes.
If you haven’t seen Mel Robbins’ TED talk “How to stop screwing yourself over”, check it out here. In her talk, Mel describes the big issue she has with people saying they are “fine.” The problem, she says, is that you say it to yourself. She says “That thing that you want, I guarantee you, you’ve convinced yourself that you’re fine not having it. That’s why you’re not pushing yourself. It’s the areas in your life where you’ve given up.”
When you feel dissatisfied and stuck in your life, be strong enough to admit to yourself you’re not fine and take action to change your situation.
2. They don’t stay stuck in their comfort zone.
The mentally strong know that growth occurs outside of their comfort zone. Even though it’s intimidating to get out and try new and different things, they understand the Neale Donald Walsch quote that says: “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.”
The mentally strong make a point to regularly stretch themselves, embrace new challenges, and force themselves to get comfortable being uncomfortable.
3. They don’t expect immediate success.
The mentally strong realize that progress takes time. When they set out to make changes in their lives, they prepare for the long haul. They don’t expect drastic results immediately.
4. They don’t give up easily.
The mentally strong persevere in many areas of life.
Perseverance is defined by Merriam-Webster as the quality that allows someone to continue trying to do something even though it is difficult. Steve Jobs mentioned the importance of persevering as an entrepreneur when he said, “I’m convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance.”
Whether it’s in their business ventures or during difficult times in their personal lives, the mentally strong press on through their trials.
5. They don’t say yes to everything.
The mentally strong practice saying no at times. They say no to toxic friendships. They refuse to let others “guilt trip” them into doing things. They say no to being involved in committees or events they really can’t stand. They have the strength to stay true to their priorities and values.
6. They don’t avoid being vulnerable.
The mentally strong allow themselves to be vulnerable; in fact, they embrace it.
Brené Brown, a research professor at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work, gave a powerful speech on the power of vulnerability. She describes the importance of letting ourselves be deeply seen and loving with our whole hearts — even though there’s no guarantee.
The mentally strong let themselves love wholeheartedly and be vulnerable.
7. They don’t spend their time being envious.
The mentally strong don’t waste their time being envious of people they feel are doing ‘better’ in life than they are. They realize being envious will get them nowhere.
Instead, they choose to focus their time and energy on studying the habits of people they want to emulate. They routinely learn from others who are doing what they want to do. They understand the value in learning from the experts. Instead of sitting back and feeding their jealousy, they take actions to improve their lives.
Featured photo credit: Dark muscle woman/Rikard Elofsson via flickr.com
