There has been a lot a great dialogue recently about the core beliefs of mentally strong people. I discussed this as a topic in my bi-weekly “Coaching at The Corner” series here on Nantucket.

To understand those core beliefs, it is important to first understand what we mean by “Mental Strength.”

Here is my take on it. Mental strength is not whether you are positive or negative.  It is not whether you are  highly intelligent or not. Mental strength is about how strongly you control your thoughts, your emotions, and your actions.

Now for  what I believe to be the core beliefs  of mentally strong people :

1. Know and be clear on your values.  It is difficult to be mentally strong about anything if you don’t know and understand your values and your boundaries. People who are mentally strong  know themselves, their values, their “drivers.”
2. Maintain a keen awareness of your emotions. People with mental strength have a very clear understanding of their emotional triggers, and how they respond to things.  This is extremely valuable in times when you need to think clearly about something, rather than become distracted by an emotional response.
3. Retain your personal power. This is about feeling comfortable in your “own shoes.”  You define yourself, rather than relying on how others define you.  You don’t need feedback from others to validate your thoughts and actions. Again, when you retain your personal power, you are more able to honor your boundaries.
4. Live in the now. By focusing presently, we can be in better control of our emotions and our perceptions, rather than  worrying about the past or agonizing about the future .
5. Make peace with the past. Similar to living in the “now,” past situations and  problems and issues can cloud our ability to move forward.  They let go. Mentally strong people have made peace with their pasts, learned from them, and are poised to move forward.
6. Manage your mental energy.  We all have a lot of thoughts going through our heads.  Mentally strong people reserve  that precious space for important things,  rather than what  I like to call “monkey chatter.” Little things can take over your mind  and  inhibit your ability to evaluate and think clearly about  your current situation .
7. Accept total responsibility for your life. By accepting that you are responsible for all parts of your life, you stand on your own 2 feet.  You don’t blame other people for things that are happening to you,  and  you effectively  set yourself up as  the center for your success.
8.  Set goals.  I believe that mentally strong people are forward focused, with clarity.  By setting goals, you will exude your mental strength. Having written goals gives you even more power, and the ability to measure when you have achieved  your targeted successes.

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