One of my greatest passions is to teach people how to change their mindsets. This is because I firmly believe that our mind is the central nervous system that controls and dictates the function of our entire body.
The problem with many of us sometimes is that we have a strong desire to win and succeed in life, but our mindsets serve as the biggest hindrance. No matter what we do and how hard we try, we are simply not able to win in life because to begin with, we have a defeated mindset.
And this is exactly why we need to pay attention to how we THINK.
As Joyce Meyer once said, “The battlefield happens inside your mind.”
And whether we admit this or not, it’s true.
And how can we win the battlefield that is in our minds? We need a mindset that has MENTAL PREPAREDNESS and MENTAL TOUGHNESS. These are our key ingredients to any success.
Mental Preparedness
Mental preparedness is the condition of your mind before starting any endeavor.
And so, before you start any project or enterprise, the question you need to ask is this:
“What is the state of your mind?” or “What is your current mindset?”
This is because it is your mindset that determines the outcome of whatever it is that you start.
If you think you cannot do it, then you really will not be able to do it. But if you think you can do it, no one can stop you on your tracks since you are focused and determined to do whatever it takes to have it.
The mind is really simply amazing.
Remember, what you think is what you will feel.
What you feel is what you will do.
And what you do is simply the byproduct of what you think.
Winning and losing starts and ends on how a person thinks.
As James Maxwell once said:
“Think more about winning rather than losing. Winning is only a result of what is happening in the inside. Winning is an inside job.”
Of course another way to have mental preparedness is to anticipate the obstacles that you will encounter. But, as you anticipate the obstacles, prepare for the obstacles by looking at solutions and opportunities. Don’t fuss too much about the obstacles.
“What is the difference between an obstacle and an opportunity? Our attitude towards it. Every opportunity has a difficulty, and every difficulty has an opportunity.” – J. Sidlow Baxter
And so, as you develop mental preparedness, think of opportunities instead of obstacles. Think of possibilities rather than impossibilities.
Remember, when you start thinking and believing that it is possible, then it automatically becomes possible. You have the ability to make the impossible possible just by believing that it is actually a possibility.
Mental Toughness
On the other hand, mental toughness is the ability to keep strong in the face of adversity. It’s the ability to keep your focus and determination despite the difficulties that you encounter. It is the voice at the back of your mind that tells you to keep going, keep pushing, and keep trying, even when the going gets tough.
Developing your mental toughness can help you be more emotionally resilient, push yourself to go further and harder, and build an armor of perseverance around you to resist the bullets that life fires your way.
You see, problems in life are inevitable. Failure is also inevitable. And making mistakes is also inevitable. And because we cannot avoid them, then we should learn how to deal with them. Learn from your mistakes instead of blaming yourself. Take every failure as a teaching moment to make you a better person. Congratulate yourself on whatever growth you have gained as a person in dealing with a difficult situation. What matters in the end is what you do with your situation. This is how you can develop mental toughness.
Keep in mind that developing a mindset of mental toughness is a process and it’s not something you can conjure overnight. It takes a lot of patience and a conscious effort to become tougher mentally. You may waiver from your own strength and knowledge, but you can be assured that with God’s strength and grace, you can do it.
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” -Philippians 4:13
THINK. REFLECT. APPLY.
- What kind of thoughts have you been having these past few days?
- Given your current situation, how can you practice mental preparedness and mental toughness?
- Are you focused on the difficulties or the opportunities?
Chinkee Tan is a Wealth Coach, Keynote Speaker, and Best-selling Author on personal finance and wealth management. He has written 16 best-selling books and counting. His mission is to equip millions of Filipinos to be free from financial stress & experience financial freedom.