This article describes mental toughness and how to strengthen your mindset. Use this guide to become more disciplined in your efforts toward goals.
What is Mental Toughness?
Mental toughness is the ability to overcome negative thoughts and stay resilient toward goals. Achieving mental toughness allows you to persevere through struggle and succeed in any area of difficulty whether it be sport, business, education, etc.
This guide provides 7 ways to strengthen your mind.
How to Strengthen Your Mindset
Table of Contents
Break the Breaking Point
The human body is programmed to work up to only 40% of its potential. When you are exerting your body physically, there is a breaking point where your body tells you to stop. This breaking point is only 40% of what your body is capable of accomplishing. The 40% rule is a mental block that causes you to believe you can’t push any further. Once you break through this breaking point, you are able to overcome the mental block keeping you from reaching your full potential. This shows the power of your mind, which allows you to unlock your full capability in any field.
If you’ve ever heard of the placebo effect, it is proven that if you believe something is possible, you are more likely to achieve it. If you push past your breaking points in life, these challenges will build your mental strength into a more capable machine that can handle more than you ever imagined.
Discipline
If you’re waiting for motivation, you’ll be waiting your whole life. It is impossible to feel motivated all the time. If you want to be mentally tough, you must practice discipline over motivation. Practicing discipline shapes mental toughness and allows you to have more confidence in your abilities. How many times did you set a new years resolution and never take the steps to achieve it? How can you trust yourself if you consistently break your own promises?
“Tomorrow I’ll eat healthy”. “I’ll go to the gym next week”. “I’ll start my business next year”.
The sooner you stop breaking your own promises to yourself, the sooner you’ll see change. Stop waiting for a feeling of motivation and hold yourself accountable. If you want something, you must take action. A small step is a ultimately a step. A single step turns into two, then four, and so on.
Plan
Without a plan, there is no way to get from point A to point B. Feeling sorry for yourself does nothing but hinder your progress. It’s okay to express your emotions and release them in a healthy manner, but after a while you’ll realize being upset over it is wasting valuable time. Let it out, and make a plan. The past is the past. You cannot go back in time and change anything that has happened. Lucky for you, the future is in your hands. Plan for it.
Where do you want to be in a year? 5 years? 10? Set a goal for yourself. Research ways to achieve that goal. Find out what it is going to take to get there. What steps do you need to take? Write these things down, create your own map to success and follow the route! You can.
Get Uncomfortable
What does it mean to get uncomfortable? This will look different for everyone. Getting uncomfortable means stepping out of your comfort zone into a lifestyle where the future is unknown. This can mean living on your own for the first time, taking on a new challenge, or changing the way you think.
Seeking discomfort is important on the path to personal growth. Success does not come to those who stay in their comfort zone. It is impossible to learn and grow if you never challenge yourself. It will be challenging to step out of the life you know, but your new life is going to cost you your old one. Changing the way you think will change the way you act, and change the way your life looks.
Manifest
Manifestation is a controversial belief that if you think something will happen, it eventually will come true. Similar to wishful thinking. However, to actually benefit from manifestation you’ll have to do more than just believe.
Manifestation can be a powerful way to train your mind to think differently and turn goals into reality. This can be in the form of affirmations, or other positive thoughts. It is proven that the more positive thoughts you crowd into your brain, the less room there is for negative thinking. Telling yourself that you are capable of something results in likeliness to try.
Utilize Failure
Learning is an important process in developing your mind. Typically, here is a simple timeline that occurs when you try something new.
- Idea phase
- Planning
- Execution
- Result (success or failure)
First, you have an idea of something you want to try to achieve. Next, you plan your route in order to achieve that goal. Then, you attempt to succeed at this goal. Finally, you succeed or fail.
Regardless of the result, you have learned. Learning is part of life, and the moment you stop learning is the moment you stop living. Always try new things and attempt to achieve goals because no matter the outcome, you will be stronger and more experienced. Use failures and shortcomings as fuel to change your approach, and keep pushing to become a better version of yourself!
Eliminate Distractions
Distractions are inevitable when attempting something new. Life can get in the way, and unavoidable obstacles may arise. However, limiting your distractions gives you more time to evolve and focus on your goals. After creating your plan, you will have clear steps that need to be taken in order to move toward your goal. Procrastination can be detrimental to your mindset, leaving you feeling unproductive and lazy. Mentally, you will feel more motivated toward success if you hold yourself accountable and keep distractions at a minimum. If there is something you know needs to be done, complete it as soon as possible. Make time for relaxation, but don’t let it keep you from moving forward.
Strengthen Your Mind
Over time, it will become easier to practice self discipline and be comfortable in a new mindset. The first step is always the hardest, but taking the first step makes the next 5 steps easier. Strengthening your mindset will help you achieve your goals and eventually set larger goals to work toward. If you work hard on yourself, you’ll receive the best return you can imagine. You will become a better version of yourself and your life will begin to transform.
Click the links below to return to a specific section of the text.
- Break the breaking point
- Discipline
- Plan
- Get uncomfortable
- Manifest
- Utilize failure
- Eliminate distractions
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