To be successful in business and life, it’s important to be mentally strong and strong-minded. Strong-minded people are confident, resilient, strong-willed, and clear on who they are and what’s important to them.
Strong-minded people are focused on being mentally strong to help them navigate the fears, failures, experiences, and obstacles that come with growing a successful business and life.
Learning how to be strong minded helps you transform past experiences into measurable criteria for future growth. In this article, I’ll outline a definition of being strong-minded and share 23 important ways to be strong-minded.
How do you become mentally strong?
Mentally strong people build positive habits. A strong mindset helps you stay focused on your intentions and create positive thoughts and behaviours.
Mentally strong people are clear on what they want and don’t want in their future and use those choices as a measurement for future growth.
What sets mentally strong people apart is their ability to make decisions and communications that help them stay in a growth mindset despite the challenges, fears, and obstacles they face.
Read also: 7 essential strategies for building mental strength
What is a strong-minded person?
I define strong-minded people as having the mindset, capacity, and capability to face and overcome challenges. Strong minded people have a clear purpose and set of guiding principles and values that they stick to through thick and thin.
Being strong of mind means having the mental skills and physical capabilities to respond to and overcome any challenge. Someone with a strong mind is also resolute about their principles and beliefs and is focused on growth, learning, and achievement.
Someone with a strong mindset is self-aware, sets clear boundaries, and doesn’t compare themselves to others.
Characteristics of having a strong mind
Mentally strong people have the capabilities, mindset, and ability to think about their thinking. Having a strong mind allows them to confront and overcome difficulties of all kinds.
When someone is strong-minded they have the energy, focus, and mental stamina to deal with challenges internally. Additionally, having mental toughness gives you the courage to build confidence, overcome obstacles, and grow from your experiences.
Discover the 3 characteristics of a strong mind.
How to be strong-minded
Here are 23 effective ways to be strong-minded and develop the characteristics of a strong mind.
1. Strong-minded people have clear goals
Strong-minded people have a clear direction and purpose. They have excellent goal setting skills. Additionally, they know exactly what they want to achieve and have a clear game plan to get them there.
Although challenges, frustrations, and failures may throw them off course, their clarity of vision helps them stay strong of mind to overcome these obstacles. Get a proven process for setting goals.
2. They are committed and intentional
Strong-minded people are committed and intentional. They have a strong sense of purpose combined with a commitment and perseverance to stay the course despite the roadblocks that may come up.
When you have a strong mind, you are committed and intentional to the things that are important to you. Additionally, no amount of failures stop you from reaching your goals. Learn 6 ways to start being intentional.
3. Mentally strong people overcome obstacles
Mentally strong people know how to overcome obstacles to help them achieve their goals. People with a strong mind are clear on the obstacles they face and have a built-in strategy to creating a plan of action to overcome the obstacle.
Instead of being thrown off course, strong-minded people have a clear vision of their future and have the capabilities to take action to overcome the obstacles and challenges they face.
4. Strong-minded people know their capabilities
When the going gets tough, people with a strong mind have to be crystal clear on their skills and capabilities.
Mentally strong people know their capabilities and spend more time using them to reach their goals. They’re not afraid to focus on their strengths, rather than trying to eliminate obstacles.
5. They have a gratitude mindset
People who are strong of mind always appreciate something in their day, no matter how hard it’s been. When you have a gratitude mindset you always come from a place of abundance, rather than scarcity.
Strong-minded people express gratitude daily and are thankful for everything they have in their lives.
Learn more about how to develop a gratitude practice.
6. They are always learning
Strong-minded people are always learning and growing. They build positive, motivating habits to help them achieve bigger and better goals. Instead of focusing on frustrations and failures, strong-minded people have the mindset that it is a learning experience rather than a failure experience.
They put things in place to learn from what happened and go again, instead of staying down and defeated. This puts them in a mindset of abundance rather than scarcity. Discover how to practice gratitude.
7. They play a longer game
People with a strong mind have a long-term vision of their ideal future. They have a clear purpose and understand who they want to be in the future.
Their long-term vision provides motivation and excitement and gives them measurable goals to work towards in the present. Playing a longer game removes time scarcity in the present and creates a bigger framework for achieving their goals.
Rather than experiencing busyness and stress to hit shorter goal deadlines, strong-minded people give themselves the time freedom to achieve what they want.
Learn how to create more time freedom.
8. They think in terms of abundance, not scarcity
Strong-minded people have an abundance mindset rather than a scarcity mindset. They think in terms of abundance and are always looking for ways to be grateful and express appreciation for what they have.
As a result, they feel energised, excited, and motivated by their future. Strong-minded people are focused on creating value in the world with other like-minded people.
Read more about how to develop an abundance mindset.
9. Strong-minded people are clear on their values
Strong-mindset people are clear on their values and surround themselves with people who support those values. As a result, they don’t compare themselves to others and are not interested in people-pleasing.
Their values act as a guiding principle to everything you do and are fully supportive of their vision and goals.
10. People with a strong mind have clear boundaries
People who have a strong mind set clear boundaries around their time, energy, and focus. They have a clear purpose and vision of who they want to be in the future.
As a result, they experience greater confidence and self-esteem. If opportunities or relationships don’t align with their goals, strong-minded people have the confidence to say no, rather than saying yes to everything.
Build your self-confidence with my 11 tips on how to build self-confidence
11. They have a clear sense of purpose
Strong-minded people have a clear sense of purpose that guides their thoughts and actions. They know who they are and what they want to achieve in life. As a result, they are clear on what’s important to them and have a clear plan to achieve the goals that make the biggest difference in their life.
They know that creating something bigger and better in the present is key to creating the future they want. Read more about how to be present.
12. They don’t compare
Strong-minded people don’t compare themselves to others. Instead, they build healthy habits and create their path to achieving the goals that are most important to them.
They are guided by their sense of purpose and what makes them happy. Instead of worrying about what other people have, people with a strong mind appreciate the people and things they have in their lives.
If you struggle with imposter syndrome, here are 7 ways to overcome imposter syndrome.
13. They follow their path
Strong-minded people are internally driven and follow their path. They understand what is important to them and choose to follow their purpose, rather than follow what the external world says.
Staying on their path builds self-esteem and confidence. As a result, they can overcome setbacks and roadblocks with the drive and determination to achieve what is important to them.
14. Strong-minded people are honest with themselves
People with a strong mindset are honest with themselves and don’t feel sorry for themselves. They build the confidence to think about their thinking and course-correct along the way.
They tell the truth about what’s working and what’s not working in their lives which gives them the mindset to create positive and lasting change.
This honest assessment of the present helps strong-minded people make better decisions and take action on their most important goals.
15. They are comfortable with themselves
People with a strong mind are comfortable in their skin and look at everything as a growth and learning experience. They don’t need to be seen as the smartest person in the room to boost their ego and confidence.
They are focused on progress and happiness and seek out people and experiences that help them grow and achieve their goals.
16. They know they need support to grow
Strong-minded people recognise they need support to grow to the next level in their business and life. They surround themselves with people who help them accelerate their growth and maximise their strengths.
They have a growth mindset and know they can’t do everything themselves. Instead, they seek out people who increase their capabilities and allows them to capture new opportunities.
If you want to stay focused and accountable to your goals, read the benefits of accountability coaching,
17. They are intentional
People who are strong of mind are intentional in everything they do. They focus on what they can control and have a powerful sense of what they want and what they want to achieve.
Instead of lacking direction, they set measurable goals which give them the clarity and confidence to take action. This sense of clear purpose ensures they make measurable progress in the areas of their life that are most important.
To be more intentional, read my guide to be intentional.
18. They make time to think and plan
Strong-minded people are clear on their goals set dedicated time aside to think about the present and plan for the future. They carve out time to re-energise, re-focus, and course-correct their game plan where required.
Instead of feeling overwhelmed and distracted, people with a strong mindset understand that planning in the present saves them time in the future. As a result, they are more focused and productive.
Discover how to plan your week effectively and get a proven process for effective daily planning.
19. Strong-minded set measurable goals
People with a strong mind set goals to give their life direction and purpose. They know exactly what they want to achieve, and when they want to achieve it.
Rather than wandering through life, strong-minded people use goal setting as the key to their future. They understand that having a measurable destination to reach will keep them excited and motivated each day.
By setting goals, people with a strong mindset acknowledge their past achievements and use them as a guide to creating something bigger and better in the future.
Discover a proven formula for setting measurable goals.
20. They collaborate with others to help them grow
People with a strong mind are focused on growth in every area of their business and life. Instead of trying to do everything themselves, they understand that collaboration is the fastest path to personal growth.
They spend more time with the people who support them and push them to higher levels of achievement and success. People with a strong mind also know they need to remove some of the people and situations that are holding them back.
They are comfortable making these decisions for the good of their future growth.
21. They are courageous
Strong-minded people are courageous and are committed to their personal growth and success. Their courage is internally driven and inspired by achieving something exciting in the future.
They don’t worry about failure and see obstacles as challenges to overcome to build better habits and achieve bigger and better goals.
22. They take small steps to keep growing
By taking small steps towards their goals, and celebrating achievements every day, strong-minded people are focused on growing every day. They are clear that daily improvements help them achieve bigger improvements in their life.
People with a strong mind understand that making daily progress towards their goals helps them build the mental strength and self-confidence to always take action.
23. They focus on progress, not perfection
Strong-minded people see a degree of achievement in everything they do. Instead of striving for perfection, they acknowledge and celebrate every step towards achieving their goals.
They understand that progress builds motivation and confidence so they seek out any small improvements that move them closer towards their goals. By understanding that daily progress grows over time, people with a strong mind make it a habit to express gratitude for their achievements.
If you struggle with perfectionism, discover a proven process to overcome perfectionism.
Conclusion
Strong-minded people are focused on growth and personal development. They are courageous and committed to their personal development and growth.
When you are strong minded you have the mental strength to overcome failures and see them as learning experiences for future growth. Having mental strength helps you focus on achieving your goals so you can reach your true potential.
Use the tips I’ve shared in this article to become more strong-minded today.
Now I’d love to hear from you.
What’s your best tip to become strong-minded? How do you stay mentally strong when facing obstacles?
Let me know in the comments.
About Mark Pettit
Mark Pettit is a time management coach and accountability coach based in Colchester, Essex, UK. He provides time management coaching programs and accountability coaching programs to business owners and entrepreneurs in the UK, US and Canada.
Mark also writes about time management, productivity and goal achievement. Each month, over 10,000 people read Mark’s articles to help them achieve their goals faster.
Get all articles on the blog. To plan your day effectively, download my free daily planner.
Thanks for reading. I am fortunate to share my work with over 10,000 people every month. You can get more actionable tips in my popular weekly email newsletter.
Each week, I share simple time management and productivity tips to help you reach your goals faster. Over 1,000 people subscribe. Enter your name and email to join us.
I have been told more often I have a strong personality; but strong minded seems accurate as well. Most of what you have written is true of me. There are areas that are less so or I could work on. Honestly, I have never understood what people meant when they said I have a strong personality until finally my best friend googled it. It was often my assumption they were saying it in a negative way, and maybe some were. The better I understand what strength of mind and personality are the more I appreciate the sentiment.
Would love to hear your thoughts on communication. This is an area I have not been as successful, especially when trying to improve processes, treatment of employees, etc. Note: I have been put into leadership roles but have not sought them out – managing people is not an interest of mine. Here’s the rub, poor management becomes intolerable to me, so then I will attempt to communicate for change. Hasn’t worked for me. The thing is many people come to me to discuss their difficulties, I’m a good listener, though used to be better. Anyway, thanks for the article, I’ll look to see if you have already addressed communication.
Thanks for reading the article and taking the time to let me know your thoughts. I haven’t written too much on improving communication although I do have a lot of experience in developing effective communication skills. If you would like personalised guidance on improving your communication please email me at enquiries@lucemiconsulting.co.uk and we can set something up.
I also have an article on how to be a better listener which you might find beneficial.
I was curious about what it meant about Aquarius having a powerful mind., because I never thought of having a powerful mind. I did think I am a bit strange. Now that I read about it,, I feel special.
That’s great that you feel special. Thank you for reading the article.
I would add that strong minded people like themselves and what they have they are very creative and never bored. They are pleasure to be around as their zest for life is infectious. They ‘ dance like nobody is watching and treat a day like it was their last – to the full. they are the shakers who change the world for the better.