Mental Strength Habits

                                          
                                            

                            "You can tell how smart people are by what they laugh at."

                                                                     Tina Fey


Amy Morin is a psychotherapist who's written a book called “13 habits mentally strong people don't do,” but she also has advice on what those of us that care about intelligence and wisdom, should be doing. Here are nine things mentally strong people do every day.

1. They monitor their emotions.

Being “emotionally intelligent” is as important, and in some ways more important, for success in life than are other forms of intelligence. Morin says, mentally strong people are "acutely aware" of their emotions.

"They monitor their emotions throughout the day and recognize how their feelings influence their thoughts and behaviors," she says. "They know sometimes reaching their greatest potential requires them to behave contrary to how they feel."

2. They practice realistic optimism.

Being Pollyanna, happy face, have a nice day, “I'm great” all the time is delusional, but too much negativity is counterproductive.

Mentally strong people "understand that their thoughts aren't always true, and they strive to re- frame their negativity," Morin says. "They replace exaggeratedly negative thoughts with a more realistic inner monologue."

3. They solve problems.

To be solution focused is essential in worldly navigation, the problems are usually easily identifiable, what isn't are solutions. In management, someone had better be offering solutions vs. just harping on problems, offering solutions will carry you very far in a workplace.

4. They practice self-compassion.

Being imperfect is being human, not beating yourself up or driving yourself critically doesn't help in the long run. Morin says mentally strong people; “respond to their inner critic as if they were standing up to the schoolyard bully," she says. "They forgive themselves for mistakes and cheer themselves on as they work toward their goals."

5. They set healthy boundaries.

Boundaries are in large part learning how to say “NO.” In our people pleasing culture, this is often rare and it creates mixed messages, confusion and resentments. Morin says; “Mentally healthy people can establish healthy boundaries, however, by behaving assertively.”

"They accept full responsibility for how they think, feel, and behave," she says, "and they refuse to let other people dictate whether they're going to have a good day or a bad day."

6. They manage their time wisely.

Mentally strong people describe time as a finite resource, Morin says. That's why they try to use it in a meaningful way. "Rather than waste energy dwelling on the past or resenting other people for taking up their time, they focus on more productive activities," she says.

7. They strive to fulfill their purpose.

Joseph Campbell called this “Following your bliss.” This is understanding who you are and your overall mission, values, and “True North” direction in your life. I understand this as finding ways to optimally give your gifts, this is the source of true fulfillment.

8. They seek to grow stronger.

I know it gets old hearing the idea of challenges and setbacks as learning opportunities, but the alternative is viewing yourself as a victim, which gets you nowhere. "Mentally strong people view everyday challenges as opportunities to grow stronger," Morin says. Additionally, they never settle or consider themselves strong enough. There is always room for improvement.

"They know that just like physically strong people need to work out to stay in good shape, they need to keep working out their mental muscles to prevent atrophy," she says.

9. They monitor their progress.

This includes the ability and means to receive and respond to feedback about what's working and not working in any give circumstance or relationship, unless you factor in feedback, you are in a closed, stagnant system that will reach diminishing returns.

Doing whatever it takes to improve can help you reach your greatest potential. It starts with acknowledging your weaknesses and having a "no excuses" approach.

"Rather than make excuses for their mistakes or failures, they seek explanations that will help them perform better moving forward," Morin says.


For extra credit, I'll throw in these useless words that will dumb down your use of language and ideas, they are;

A) Stuff

B) Maybe

C) Honestly

D) Really

E) Amazing

To recap this stuff, maybe you should honestly never really use these less than amazing words!