If I ask you to run a 100 mile tomorrow, would able to do that? Will you be able to command your mind to push the boundaries of your body.
Do you have the mental strength to overcome every obstacle and pain to achieve what you want?
Do you have the will to persist?
Why not you try this tomorrow morning.
Start early and go for a 5-mile run. Let’s see what happens?
Actually I have tried it myself.
You start well but soon after 2-mile, you start to lose sight. Your heart starts raising, and soon you find a strong urge to stop. You are no longer in control of yourself. Your body starts aching and finally, you want to give up.
Most of them give up at this point, and most of them have the excuse that they are not in regular practice or they might get hurt if they push themselves. But in reality, it is not the body that gives up, it is the mind.
Your stops you to push the limits of your body as a preventive measure so that you do no hurt yourself.
This I was talking on the basis of physical aspects, but the same thing applies at every level of our lives.
Table of Contents
How many times have you made a New Year’s resolution and kept it for the entire year?
Studies shows that there are only 15% people in the world who keep their resolution till the end and work towards it. Because it is a VERY HARD THING to do. Mental Strength is not inherit, it is developed.
In this article, I’m going to talk about ten ways that actually changed me as an individual and enabled me to achieve more. I’m still not following all the ten ways that I’m going to talk about but just a part of it turned me into an achiever.
So, let’s start with the Number #1.
#1. Take 15 minutes a day to Self-Reflect
I like to refer this part as “Inner Engineering”.
You do a ton of task in one day. But have you ever thought about the consequences of those tasks in your future.
Okay this is a complicated topic and a bit hard to grasp. So, as I’m a programmer, I would like to explain you from a programmers perspective.
Think of your life as a one big program written by GOD (Programmer) to solve a particular problem (Your Ultimate Purpose). Assume that the language used by GOD has a feature called ‘Reflection’.
This is the same feature that most of the modern Object-Oriented Programming Langauge already have.. Like JAVA. If you have ever worked on JAVA then you would be aware of the Reflection framework.
This framework allows you to modify the behaviour of the program at runtime… Which means in simple words, it allows you to reprogram your inner self and make it more efficient and adaptable.
This leads to another aspect of it.
There is no fixed destiny
Once you acquire the power to change your behaviour at will, you will have the power to change the direction of your life from any point in your life.
This power definitely eliminates the statement that says you have a fixed destiny. There is no fixed destiny. Only you are the creator.
#2. Do at least One Tough Thing every day
Believe me when I say you can thrive, achieve and enjoy success by doing at least one tough thing every day.
And by tough, I’m not asking you to jump from the cliff or try to seduce your boss’s wife. By tough, I’m referring towards the decisions which can actually put your life into auto-mode towards success.
As Tony Robbins , “Your life changes the moment you make a new, congruent and committed decision”.
If you could make these decisions (which are not easy) then I can assure you that your life will change and in a very good way.
Stop Crying Over Spilt Milk
Everyone makes mistakes in their lives. But one thing that makes a successful person successful is that they learn from their mistakes and forgets everything else. They do not cry over
Waking up every day thinking about the bad stuff that happened to you in the past is the worst way to look at life.
Instead, look out for the opportunities. Seek out to meet new people, make new experiences. Apply everyday learnings to your life and in the work you do. By simply focussing on the good. stuff you’ll excel in every vertical of your life…
Learning from your mistakes is Entrepreneur 101. If you can take it a step further by just taking out the important lessons and learnings from your mistakes and leave everything behind, you will start attracting all the good and experiences.
Do not cling to your past. Leave and move forward.
Choose to Feel Good About Yourself
Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.â€Â
If you will go out in the world with a mindset of making every other guy happy then you are in great trouble.
I learned this fact early in my life. Making everyone happy is not my job. My job is to make myself happy with everyone. And this simple understanding changed a things in my life for good.
And then I lived happily ever after
Posted by Varun Shrivastava on Thursday, 11 October 2018
Choose to Surround Yourself with Positive People
Your mind plays tricks all day.
How many times have you caught yourself thinking about some negative or sad situation that happened to you?
I doubt that you were actually aware during that moment. Because being aware of your thoughts is one heck of a job.
But you will notice that your mind brings up negative scenarios and situations from the past. And you consume yourself in it.
It is very difficult to completely eradicate the negative thoughts from coming into your mind. But you can always make a conscious decision to get rid of negative people from your life.
If you surround yourself with motivated, driven and passionate beings all the time, you will find yourself challenged at every point. They will force you to work harder and bring out the better version of yourself. They will push you to break boundaries. They will motivate you to become better.
That is the reason we see companies like Google, Facebook, Microsoft, ThoughtWorks ever-expanding. The reason is that they hire the right people.
Just stay away from negative people.
Choose to Set Specific Goals
Without a proper goal setting, there is no way you are going to step your foot out of your bed. There should always be a definite motive behind every action that you take.
The best way to leverage the power of motivation is to set small, specific, realistic goals before stepping out of bed.
I’m not asking you to set short term goals, I’m asking you to set daily goals that will take you in the right direction to achieve short term goals. This will eventually lead you to your ultimate goal (if you have one).
As Steve Jobs said-
I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” And whenever the answer has been “No” for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.
Steve Jobs
It is a daily process, not one time.
You need to fine-tune your thinking and direction of life every day. Without proper care and goals, it gets really hard to see where you are going.
If you can follow along and do these tough things every day of your life. Your life will find ways to surprise you. These words are coming from a person who is currently experiencing the changes and I must tell you – It feels Great!
#3. Give Up One Bad Habit
Oh boy, this is one of the hardest things to do. Not because you don’t want to but because you might not even know about it. And if you know about it then too you know how habits are. They are hard to change if you are not determined.
Just so you know, I’m not talking about the bad habits of over drinking or smoking or clubbing. I’m talking about the real and serious problems that can actually impact your lives.
Sure smoking and over-drinking is bad for your health and should leave it if you can. But as far as I know, SRK was a chain smoker but he managed to achieve a huge name for himself. Similarly, I meet a lot of people who are drinkers and smokers but manages to do good in life.
I’m talking about the bad habits that are keeping you away from yourself.
Go to Bed Early, so you can Rise Early
Now what I’m about to say may sound bizarre to you but it actually affects your life in so many ways.
Before I begin, I want to be on the same page with you. Don’t you think “Life is Too Exciting to Sleep”? If you are someone who loves to sleep then there is a strong possibility that we won’t be friends in the future 😀
If you are a type of person who sleeps very late at night (around 2 AM or after 12) and wakes up at 9, 10 or sometimes 12 then you have a bad habit. And this bad habit will feed on you.
I’m not talking about occasional late sleep, because it happens and it should happen. but if it is your habit then there is a problem.
You see there is a scientific reason involved in our saying.
Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.
~Ancestors
You might have heard it from your grandmother about the morning hours called Brahma muhurta.
This time period comes one and a half hours before sunrise – or more precisely, 1 hour and 36 minutes before sunrise. Literally meaning “The Creator’s Hour”.
There are certain waves that are only present during this period of time. These waves or I should say energies are good for our bodies and mind. So, if you have a healthy body and sound mind, eventually you will become wealthy.
All you have to do is get up early and go for a nice walk or jog or whatever makes you feel good. Just get your ass out of your house. Same goes for the evening. The energies are good for your body and therefore it is recommended to get out, play some sport, go for a walk in the park.
It all has a scientific basis for that. And now science has evolved to a degree where it can provide us with the proves.
Stay away from Blue Screens
By blue screens, I mean your smart-phones. Try to stay away from the temptation of reading emails or text messages early in the morning. At least for the first 1 or 2 hours. Instead, call your loved ones and say good morning to them.
You see, when you wake up, your mind stays clear of all the thoughts and glitches of the day. This is the time when your mind is ready to take a good dose of exercise or meditate. Feeding your brain with little packets of Dopamine is not what you would want to do.
These dopamine doses can actually make you addict to your cell phones and actually jeopardise your life.
Cell phone addiction has already grown a lot these days, especially among children in their twenties.
Addiction of any sorts is dangerous and you should try to stay away from it consciously.
Morning is also the best way to develop habits. Good or Bad is your personal choice. Go for the Good habit and this will definitely get rid of your bad habit.
I strongly recommend you to watch this video. It has stuff that can change your life.
Addiction to Technology is Ruining Lives – Simon Sinek on Inside Quest
There are many bad habits, rectify them
The two habits that I told you above have are the biggest evil for me. So, I talk about those to everyone. But I’m sure there are many other bad habits that you carry.
Find them. Rectify them.
#4. Develop Positive Self-Talk
Perhaps the most important of all.
Self-Talk is the best trait of human beings. But you talking to yourself solely depends on your mindset and your nourishment.
If you are constantly talking negatively to yourself or criticizing yourself for the wrongdoing in the past then you are killing yourself slowly. If this continues then it will turn you into the biggest loser.
Similarly, people have a tendency to blame others and they always blame others for all the wrong things that happen to them. They always try to console themselves by saying that it was not your fault, but someone else.
If you are doing it, then stop it once and for all.
Making mistakes is not bad. Mistakes are good. Learn from your mistakes and try to forget the deed. This way you will develop a positive outlook towards life.
Always talk to yourself about the strengths that you have. Always speak of the good that is inside you. Strengthen your strengths and kill your weaknesses.
Remember, you are the only person who can change your life. It is your outlook towards life that drives you. So, program your mind well.
#5. Identify Challenges and Set Goals
This part of the article talks about your ability to better examine yourself and make future predictions to identify challenges early.
Identifying challenges early will give you ample amount of time to prepare yourself. And if you are prepared then you are the strongest. All the big entrepreneurs were visionary. They moved back and forth between the present and future flawlessly and were able to make the best decisions for themselves.
It Starts with Proper Goal Setting
As I already talked about goal setting in the previous sections and how it motivates you to take actions, there is another very important aspect of it.
Goal setting helps you to prepare before hand by identifying all the possible challenges that may arise while trying to accomplish it. Identifying all the challenges beforehand gives you an edge. You get to know all the possible threats, weaknesses, strengths, friends and enemies.
And just imagine, if you know your friends and enemies, strength and weaknesses, can’t you make the most out of the situation for yourself.
So, goal settings is the one and most important part of your equation. It can make you mentally stronger by preparing you well for all the probable dangers and pit falls.
#6. Identify your Strengths and Weaknesses
Just for a minute, stop thinking of yourself as different from others. I mean, try to look at yourself from a third-person point of view, like you look at the entire world.
Now, let’s say, I tell you that there is a Gorilla and well trained human fighter. Whom do you think will win. The Gorilla or the human.
Now, observe your thoughts.
I asked the same question to my young sister, she took a minute pause and came up with the answer – It’s Gorilla.
I asked – Why Gorilla and not Fighter?
She said –
- Gorilla is Big.
- Gorilla has big teeth.
- Gorilla has big fist.
- Gorilla is more powerful.
- Gorilla is a wild animal (she meant beast).
She was absolutely correct. And to reach at the conclusion, she compared the strength and weaknesses of Gorilla with the fighter.
I didn’t stop there. I asked, is there anyway that the fighter can win? What will fighter have to do, if he needs to win?
She again took a pause (a big longer) and came up with these suggestions-
- He will have to be really fast.
- He must hit Gorilla in weak spot.
- He can shoot the Gorilla with a gun.
And she was right again.
Now, what she did was that she focussed on the fighter’s strengths. Even though the figher was losing in 100 ways but there were a few ways he could win as well.
So, what I’m trying to prove here is that – By knowing your strengths and weaknesses alone will do no good. But the moment you are aware of your strengths and weaknesses and compare those strength and weaknesses with the challenges in your path, you find ways to win. And often times your challenges are weaker than you.
#7. Journal Daily: record what you have gratitude for
A blog is a perfect place to start.? I always tell people that?You do not have to be a big celebrity to start a blog right now.
You will find many articles on my website to get you started with a simple blog where you can share your daily life experiences. These experience would not mean much to you today, but if you will look at them after 3-5 years later then you will have a benchmark to compare yourself. Compare your mindset, your decisions and a lot more stuff that cannot be written down into words.
Facebook understood this behaviour and that’s why he started giving suggestions of the old post so that people can related there lives with themselves. All these days you spend time comparing your life to the people around you. Just try to compare your life to yourself and you will find the joy in living.
Compare your old life with your current life and you will find the joy in living.
~ Varun Shrivastava
Maybe that’s what successful people meant when they said – Your biggest competition is your self.
It all starts to make sense when you start walking down the path of glory.
#8. Write down 10 ideas everyday
This is a hard thing to do. This is a part of your habits. Anything that needs to be done is a part of your habits and as I told you habits are hard to develop.
But this is one of the good habits that you can develop that will benefit you in the long run.
Ideas have always been the production of a creative mind. When you think of something new, it takes the creative juices of your mind to come up with that. Continuous production of these creative juices makes? a creative person.
So always let those ideas flow through you. It will have a major impact on various parts of your life. Your decision making improves by many folds. Try it for yourself and see the difference.
#9. Take care of your physical health
Perhaps the most important aspect of keeping yourself mentally strong. I don’t know about you, but I have seen people broke and crying over there health. They have got the money, house and children still they are unlucky because they don’t have the health to enjoy all that.
So, if you are being lenient when it comes to your health then you are going to regret it big time in the future. will come, no doubt but your health is once in a lifetime opportunity, do not let it slip.
Look at the brighter side always. Wake up early, go for jogging, do some stretching and drink lots of fresh water and fruits. Doing this simple routine every day will keep your health intact and give your mind a boost. It will make you even stronger.
Not only that, keeping your body healthy turns you into an achiever. Just imagine if I give a bat to a young person with less experience and an old man with more experience. And I will ask you to put your money on anyone for the next ball.
Whom are you going to put your money on?
I will bet on the younger guy any time. Because he has the strength and mental fitness to hit the ball better than a weak and old guy who just knows how to hit a ball from experience.
#10. Create a Healthy Environment
Always try to create a healthy atmosphere around you. You can do this by strengthening others.
Have you ever felt weak or irritated around someone while strengthened and happy around someone Well, that is because that person certain traits that their environment.
Whom would you want to spend more time with?
The one that makes you feel motivated, comfortable, powerful, driven, strengthened or with someone who makes you feel fearful, afraid, poor, weak, vulnerable.
You would definitely go with the person who fills you with power. Similarly, you have to be that person all the time. People should feel powerful around you but at the same time down to the earth. They should feel comfortable in taking risks without? the fear of failure. They should feel warm whenever they are with you.
If you are that person then life will offer you opportunities in ways you cannot imagine and more importantly you will be prepared and deserving of those opportunities.
Here are a few ways to create a healthy environment around.
Share Powerful Quotes and Images on Social Network
This is one very simple act of spreading love and strength among your circle.
How many times have you felt powerful simply be looking at a certain picture or reading a random quote?
I can bet you have felt that power many times. You can give the same to other people. If you ever come around a quote or visuals that make your day? brighter, do not hesitate to share it. Tap on the share button immediately and share it with others in your circle.
More happy people in your circle means a vibrant culture overall. There will be abundance and purity all around.
Share Posts and Messages that Spreads Positivity
You read so much stuff online everyday, and you come across happy post and sad post all the time. You can make a new habit of sharing a happy post and discard a sad post.
A simple conscious decision of sharing the happy posts will bring abundance in your life.
Spreading knowledge is the best thing you can do every day. And it is very easy in today’s world. You don’t have to spend time teaching people, you just have to share it. The person will receive it automatically and he is willing then he will make the most out of it.
Sharing is loving…
Host Seminars and Educate People about the News in your Profession
This one takes time and extra efforts from your end. But if you can pull it off then this will help you immensely. It will not only help the people to become more educated in a certain field but also help you to grow as a person.
Standing in front of 20-30 people and delivering the speech takes confidence, knowledge of the subject and communication. The more you? practice, the better you become.
Some of the most successful people in this world are great speakers. Or if you want to see it the other way, the most successful and rich people are good speakers. This makes it a mandatory trait of a successful individual.?
Conclusion
I have shared 10 Ways to Become Mentally Stronger that I try to use on a regular basis. It has helped me in the past to achieve my end goals.
The ways I have shared in this post are legit and tested. I have shared it with my family and close relatives and they all have given me positive feedbacks.?
I did not realize that the post has grown big and has crossed more than 3500 words 😀 I’m sure it would take your precious time to read and is difficult to read the entire post in a single sitting. But if you do read it, then please let me know your views in the comments below.
Your comments are my Elixir.