Resilience
3 Things You'll Experience When You Build Mental Strength
Here's why building mental muscle is worth the effort.
Posted August 1, 2016
I received an email from someone the other day who was thinking of signing up for my Mental Strength eCourse. It read, "I think I'd like to learn more about the exercises that will help me build mental strength. But it sounds like a lot of work. How do I know becoming mentally stronger is really worth the effort?"
I appreciated his question. Sometimes, it's tempting to start talking about how to build mental strength, without talking about why it's important.
Before you commit to learning new exercises (whether it's a physical or mental health regimen) it's important to be educated about the potential risks, as well as the expected benefits.
Here are the three biggest benefits you'll experience when you build mental strength:
1. Greater life satisfaction.
Building mental strength will help you gain self-acceptance while still striving for self-improvement. You'll be able to enjoy life to its fullest when you're able to turn challenges into opportunities for growth.
As your mental strength increases, you'll feel more confident in the decisions you make. You'll gain clarity over your values, and you'll ensure that your priorities are in line with your beliefs.
2. Enhanced performance.
Increased mental strength is the key to performing at your peak. Whether you're an athlete or an entrepreneur, building mental strength will help you reach your greatest potential.
Mental strength helps you manage your thoughts, regulate your emotions, and behave productively. That means you'll be able to focus your effort and energy on the things that matter most.
3. Increased resilience.
You can't control a lot of things that happen to you in life. But, you can control how you respond to hardship. When you feel mentally strong you'll be able to rise to whatever challenge you face.
Mental strength isn't just for hard times, however. It's also critical to managing stress in everyday life. As your mental strength increases, you'll gain confidence in your ability to deal with whatever problems you face.
How to Build Your Mental Muscle
Everyone has the capacity to become mentally stronger. And everyone has room for improvement.
Changing the way you think, feel, and behave isn't an easy task, however. It takes dedication and commitment.
Just like going to the gym a few times won't make you physically strong, developing your mental muscle is also a lifelong process. Mental strength takes years to build and a lifetime to maintain.
Not everyone wants to improve their lives. And that's OK. Some people are afraid of the hard work, and others doubt their ability to create positive change.
But if you want to challenge yourself to become the best you can, increasing your mental muscle will take you to the next level. I've seen it in my therapy practice, in my consulting business, and in my own life.
Your mind can be your biggest asset or your worst enemy. When you learn how to train it well, you can accomplish incredible feats.
Interested in learning how to give up the bad habits that rob you of mental strength? Pick up a copy of 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do.
This article first appeared on Inc.