Five easy ways to help your mind keep you motivated and achieve your goals.
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Let’s face it. Men have to be tough. All the time. It doesn’t matter what kind of life you lead. It doesn’t matter what your profession is.
Men have to be tough.
I’m not talking about the John Wayne, Charles Bronson type of tough. I’m not referring to the stereotypical macho type of tough.
The type of toughness I’m talking about starts in the mind.
If we are going to have any kind of real success, we have to be tough enough to achieve it. We have to be mentally tough.
The kind of toughness that enables you to persevere and stay motivated no matter what happens. When you’re mentally tough, life can throw whatever it wants at you and you keep going.
You keep moving forward, despite your obstacles and challenges.
It’s not always easy to remain mentally tough. It takes work. It takes commitment. But you have to do it if you’re going to accomplish your goals.
Think about it, there are probably several things you’re stressed about. Doing well at your job, or growing your business. Working on your relationship with your significant other. Trying to find a significant other. Being a good father. Being a good friend, son, uncle, or whatever you are.
Regardless of where you are in life, there are plenty of things that can cause you to feel fear, uncertainty, and/or doubt. It’s something we all deal with.
Here are five things I do in order to strengthen myself mentally.
Keep one thing in mind as you read this: it’s not easy to stay consistent with these tips. Honestly, I find myself slipping into despair at times. But by doing the following things, I’m able to come back and keep going no matter what.
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When You Don’t Know What To Do, Do What You Can
Be honest. How many times have you felt absolutely helpless? The feeling that your desires are so far out of reach so there’s no point in trying to achieve them.
That’s a normal feeling. Sometimes, the goals and dreams we strive for seem so far away, we can’t see a point in trying to reach them.
Here’s the thing, nobody ever accomplished anything great all in one day. They worked towards it One.Day.At.A.Time.
- Maybe you want to build a thriving business.
- Maybe you just want to provide well for your family.
- Perhaps you want to make a positive difference in your community.
You can’t do it all at once.
Sometimes, when you’re not sure how you will achieve your objectives, you just have to do what you can. You can’t control your challenges and objectives, so there’s no use in focusing on them.
Instead, focus on the things you can do. Set your mind on the the actions you can take today in order to work towards your goals.
By doing this, you will move yourself that much closer to your dream. Take it one day at a time. Celebrate each victory, no matter how small. It will keep you motivated to continue on your journey.
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Take Time To Yourself
When you’re trying to create the life you want, it’s easy to get stuck in the rut of trying to please everyone else. This isn’t inherently bad, sometimes you have to take care of yourself first.
Trying to make everyone else happy without taking care of yourself is like trying to feed everyone on your block when you’re starving to death. You’re not any good to anyone else if you’re not making sure you’re in good shape to help them.
As tempting as it may be, you can’t work yourself to the bone. You have to take some time to yourself so you can regroup and refocus. If you don’t do this, you will end up feeling overwhelmed and helpless.
Whether it’s a few minutes per day, or maybe one day every few weeks, take some time to focus on you. It’s not selfish. It’s smart.
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Find A Way To Express Yourself
If you’re anything like me, you tend to deal with your stress by bottling it up and hoping it will go away. Men are great at compartmentalizing, but that’s not always a good thing.
Turning your negative energy inward is a great way to make yourself sick mentally and physically. I’ve been guilty of this myself, and it’s no fun. You have to let it out somehow.
Find an outlet.
Figure out a way to let those emotions out. Some people do this by talking to friends. Others may take on a hobby that allows them to release this energy.
Me? I write.
Every man is different. So find what works for you and make sure you do it regularly. If you like to write, then write. If you like to sing, then sing. If you like to play sports, then play hard. The issue isn’t how you express yourself, the issue is that you express yourself in a way that is healthy.
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Laugh…A Lot
Do you often find yourself stressed out? Do you feel tense?
Try laughter.
Laughter is important. Immensely important. I can say without hesitation that if I didn’t have my sense of humor, I probably wouldn’t be alive.
Sometimes, we get caught up in work and providing for our friends and families. It’s easy to do. Regardless of your situation, you have to laugh.
It sounds silly. But it’s true.
Humor can make even the most stressful situation easier to bear. It reminds us that we don’t have to only focus on working hard and solving problems.
Attaining mental toughness means being able to take time to look on the bright side. This comes easy to some of us…but for others, it’s not so easy.
If you know you need to take some time to focus on the lighter, happier side of things, try finding things that you find HILARIOUS. For those who can’t find humor in everyday situations, you may need to “outsource” your humor. Stand-up comedy helps! Even funny podcasts will help.
Whatever you need to do in order to make yourself laugh, do it. Seriously. You’ll be glad you did.
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Do Something That Impacts Others
Would you be interested in finding a way to instantly make yourself feel better? It’s not difficult.
Here’s the secret:
Make someone else feel better.
Do something profound for someone else. There’s something deeply satisfying about turning your focus outward, rather than inward.
Find a way to make someone else’s day brighter. Make them feel what you want to feel. It will do wonders for your mood.
The great thing about this is that it’s not difficult. There are plenty of little things you can do to make a positive impact on others.
It’s not about trying to find huge and complex ways to help someone else. It’s about focusing on the small, simple things that you can do each day to make someone else happier. How do you think you will feel knowing that you were able to make a difference in someone else’s day?
Here’s a few suggestions:
Gratitude: Express true, heartfelt gratitude to the other person. Find something they did that helped you in some way. Take the time to tell them how grateful you are for what they did.
Praise: Sincere praise is a great way to brighten someone else’s day.
Small gifts: Small, thoughtful gifts are a great way to show someone else that you care about them.
There are probably many other ways to impact other people’s lives in a positive way. The issue isn’t whether or not you can do it, the issue is whether or not you WILL do it!
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Mental toughness is something we all need to have. Our minds will keep us motivated and driven to achieve our goals.
When you are able to stay mentally tough, you can accomplish things that you didn’t even think were possible.
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