How To Become Mentally Strong

If you are going to achieve anything worth doing personally or in business, it is going to rely on being mentally strong.

The amount of success we have will be in direct relation to how much stress, uncertainty and pressure we can take.

Mental toughness is a muscle that needs to be developed.

You don't just wake up one day mentally strong. Just like you don't just go to the gym once and walk out being physically fit. It takes a lot of reps and consistency over time to develop.

I'm convinced that the majority of business or goals all boil down to 20% strategy and 80% resilience, action, commitment and grit (mental toughness).

And I write this article as someone who used to be mentally weak.

I used to be lazy.

I used to make excuses.

I used to overeat.

I used to be fat.

I used to be insecure.

I used to drink too much.

I used to start Monday.

I used to start and stop.

I used to be a soft little turd..

What Being Mentally Strong Really Means

Mental toughness is not about having a fight or an argument with someone over nothing.

It is not about ego or pride.

The people who appear to be mentally strong on the outside, are often the weakest on the inside. You can spot someone who is mentally strong by how they conduct themselves; they don't react to problems, they handle shit. They stack wins and follow the process over and over again without fail.

Mental toughness is about not missing.

Mental toughness is about doing the thing you said you would, even when you don't feel like doing it or the odds are against you.

It's having the awkward conversation. It's saying no. It is going to workout when you are not feeling great. It is making the right choice in line with your goals and it is persisting through problem after problem without giving up.

It is committing to a goal and doing whatever it takes.

It is having the mental battle with the bitch voice we all have in our heads, the voice telling us to take it easy, stay in our comfort zone or don't even try to do something. Mental toughness is ignoring that voice, and deciding to listen to the other side of your brain, the real you who wants more and is willing to push through.

Reality check: A good story doesn't start without any adversity or a mountain to climb. The best stories, films and people we admire all have a story of overcoming a huge challenge, beating the odds, and achieving the impossible. It's the climb up we connect to, so don't look for easy or perfect conditions. Look for the long term hard route. It is supposed to be hard, that's what makes it valuable. The worth of something, is in the work done to obtain it.

How I Became Mentally Strong

I grew up with one thing that has served me well so far; work ethic.

I'm willing to do the work, as long as it takes.

I applied that work ethic to retraining my brain.

I've been on a steep and brutal journey of self education.

I've read 100's of books.

I've listened to hours and hours of podcasts and trainings.

I've invested 10's of thousands pounds on self development from different mentors and advisors all over the world.

And while all that stuff is great, I've learned that mental toughness is only created by doing hard things.

You've got to be in the game. You've got to jump. And you've got to do mentally tough things over and over again.

That is the only way to get mentally strong.

You can read about it all you like, but doing it is the difference.

So I've learned to deliberately tackle hard things, on purpose.

How To Become Mentally Stronger Today

A simple daily routine is essential to build the muscle of mental toughness.

It's easy to do, and easy not to do.

That's the point.

It's about ticking off basic tasks every day as little wins, that add up and compound over time.

The Game:

1. Wake up early (5.00am)
2. Do an intense workout
3. Follow a meal plan and track food.
4. Drink 4 litres of water.
5. Invest 60 minutes of your day to learn.
6. Have a big clear goal for the future and work towards it.
7. No vices. No drink, drugs or excess.

The Return:

Tick all of those boxes for a few days and it's impossible to not feel good about yourself.

Tick all of those boxes for a few weeks and its impossible not to look and carry yourself different, with a higher self worth.

Tick all of those boxes for a few months and it's impossible to not be a better version of yourself in all areas, with significantly higher confidence.

And before you know it, you start signing yourself up for things you once thought would be impossible to achieve.

But here's the key; you have to do it everyday.

If you skip a day, you lost the day, and you return to less than zero. Because every time you start something and quit, the debt of quitting compounds and you lower your own self worth and can view yourself as a failure.

Win the days, one day at a time. Don't let yourself down.

The Bottom Line: If you can master yourself and control yourself, anything else you want to do is easy. It's just a predictable process. If you cant control your own mind, you've got to ask yourself the question, if you are not in charge, who is?