7 Essential Habits to Develop Mental Strength

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Building mental strength is essential to creating the life you want and achieving your most important goals. When you develop mental strength, you become aware of your thoughts, feeling and emotions which enables you to make better choice in any situation.

Mental strength requires you to be clear about what’s most important to you, and committed to achieving those results. It gives you the mental toughness to overcome any challenges you face along the way.

Mental strength gives you the mindset and confidence to stick to your commitments when things get tough. People with mental toughness have the courage to push through the obstacles they face each day because of their positive mindset.

Building mental strength is a capability that can be developed over time. Developing mental toughness means building daily habits that allow you to stay focused on achieving the goals that are most important to you.

Mental strengths means taking control of your emotions and thoughts and being committed to your goals. It means having the courage and mental toughness to follow your vision and live your life based on your values.

In this article I’ll outline what mental strength means and share 7 habits to help you develop mental strength.

What is mental strength?

Mental Strength is the ability of a person to deal productively with the challenges, roadblocks and pressures they experience in business and life. Having mental strength requires commitment, courage and positive daily habits to continually make daily progress despite setbacks and failures.

People who are mentally strong think about their thinking, don’t compare themselves to others and take on challenges despite not feeling they are ready or capable. Building this mental toughness increases confidence and self-esteem and allows us to take on bigger challenges despite a fear of failure.

Having mental strength allows people to take risks, take on new challenges and cope with difficult situations and experiences. People with mental strength focus on the positives in their life and surround themselves with other people who are also mentally strong.

Mental strength is developed over time when you choose to be courageous and committed to your self-development. By practising daily gratitude, focusing on abundance and developing strengths, people with mental toughness choose to live their life on their terms.

7 habits to develop mental toughness

Here are 7 habits to develop mental strength.

1. Set measurable goals

People with mental strength set goals to help them create a vision of who they want to be in the future. Setting bigger and better goals for the future requires commitment, courage and a strong mind.

Taking the first step towards your goals requires courage and the mental strength to believe that you can achieve the goal. When you set a goal that is measurable and has a deadline, you become invested in achieving the goal.

This vision gives you a deeper sense of purpose and direction in life. People with mental strength understand the importance of their goals, and the benefits of achieving their goals.

This vision of their ideal future gives them the mental toughness to take action and overcome the obstacles they may face in achieving their goals.

2. Stop comparing

People with mental strength don’t compare themselves to others as they are happy with who they are and what they’ve achieved. Being happy with yourself takes mental toughness, courage and commitment. It also takes confidence and the development of healthy habits that build positivity and gratitude into your daily life.

People with mental toughness understand that comparing themselves to others takes away their power and strength. Therefore, being strong-minded involves thinking for yourself, understanding your strengths and taking action based on your values.

To be strong mentally means being internally driven, rather than following someone else’s lead. Having this mindset ensures you are aware of your thoughts, feelings and actions. It also means you stay true to yourself, despite what other people may do or say to you.

3. Celebrate your daily progress

Mental strength is developed when you make daily progress and celebrate your achievements. The more you identify and celebrate positive daily progress the more mentally strong you become.

Taking time for quiet reflection and expressing gratitude expands positive feelings about yourself and boost confidence and self-esteem.

Self-confidence builds mental toughness and gives you the ability to deal with challenges and obstacles. To build mental toughness, take time each day to write down what you achieved. Ensure you reflect on what you learned and consider what you want to achieve tomorrow.

This focus on positive progress reinforces your ability to achieve your goals in a way that is most valuable to you.

4. Develop a gratitude practice

Being mentally strong means you focus on the positives and appreciate everything in your life. Mental strength is about fully experiencing your feelings and expressing them every day,

Mental toughness gives you the ability to get clear on the things and people that mean the most to you, and give thanks to them every day. When you practice gratitude, you choose who you want to become in the future, which reinforces mental strength.

When you are clear on who you want to become you look for things and people that support that goal. Taking time each day to express appreciation helps build resilience and the mental strength to deal with negativity.

5. Practice being present

Being mentally strong means you focus on the present moment, rather than worrying about the past or fixating on the future. It’s difficult to have the mental strength to make tough decisions and take action when you’re not present.

You can have the mental toughness to change your life and work towards achieving bigger and better goals if you become more present. Being present ensures you develop the mental muscle to focus on the here and now, and not be distracted.

When you are present you feel more in control, which reduces stress and feelings of overwhelm. Staying present builds mental toughness and ensures you feel clear and confident when making important decisions.

Read 6 tips on how to be present.

6. Take action

People with mental strength take action to make progress on their goals. They have the courage and conviction to take action even when they don’t feel ready to do so.

Developing a strong mindset is often simply about having the commitment to move forward and take action. People with mental toughness have the courage to take the first step even when they’re fearful and feel out of their comfort zone.

7. Expand your abundance mindset

Being mentally strong means focusing on abundance thinking rather than scarcity thinking. When you have mental strength you focus on maximising your strengths, rather than trying to fix weaknesses.

When you focus on your strengths and all the positive things, you build better habits that reinforce mental strength. If you focus on negatives, and try to fix your weaknesses, you hold yourself back from reaching your true potential.

Focusing on strengths and capabilities increases feelings of happiness and reinforces self-confidence and self-esteem.

Low self-esteem and being self-critical can impact and influence your mindset and behaviour. To overcome challenges and make important decisions, it’s important to build mental strength and confidence.

Building the mental strength to focus on abundance requires a daily focus and regular practice, but can be instrumental in helping you reach your goals.

Summing up

Developing mental strength means having the courage to choose how you want to live your life. With mental strength, you can choose how to react to the challenges and obstacles you face in life.

Mental toughness requires hard work and commitment to build up your mental muscle. In fact, mental toughness requires daily practice to deal effectively with stress, challenges and obstacles.

To build mental strength it’s important to set goals, set yourself up to win each day and reframe negative thoughts. When you have mental toughness you will be more intentional, have greater purpose and feel more confident.

About the Author

Mark Pettit is a time management coach and accountability coach based in Colchester, Essex, UK. He is the Founder of time management coaching company, Lucemi Consulting.

Mark provides time management coaching programs and accountability coaching programs to business owners and entrepreneurs in London, Essex, Suffolk and across the UK and US.

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