Hey everyone, and welcome to TopThink. Today, we are going to learn about 7 habits that make you
mentally weak. Now, let’s begin.
1. External Motivators Why do you want to build
mental strength? Mental strength is difficult to build and maintain;
yet many people pursue a stronger mindset without a clear goal in mind.
Why do you want to become stronger? Do you admire strong people? Are you searching for confidence,
courage, or self-esteem? Do you associate strength with professional or social success?
Everyone seeks mental strength for a different reason, but some reasons are more powerful than
others. The people who achieve mental strength carefully reflect on their ambitions and discover
deeply personal motivators. These motivators play a key role in their lifelong success.
Why? Because your motivators help persevere through difficult situations.
When you lose hope, your motivators remind you that there is something worth fighting for.
Motivation can be a powerful tool, yet many people pursue the wrong kinds of motivators.
They chase external rewards. They seek attention. They concentrate on short-term gratification
instead of long-term satisfaction. To put it simply, they focus on the wrong motivators,
and their mindset pays the price. If you want to become mentally strong,
you need to lay a proper foundation. Think about why you want to be stronger.
What does strength mean to you? What personal goals do you want to accomplish?
Figure out why you want to be stronger; otherwise, your mental strength… isn’t going to last.
2. Self-Categorization Are you mentally strong or mentally weak?
Many people categorize themselves as one or the other. Either you’re strong enough to overcome
your fears and achieve your goals, or you’re weak enough to crumble in the face of adversity.
Most people put themselves in one of these categories, but here’s the truth. No one is strong
or weak. No one fits into one specific category, and the more often you categorize yourself…
the more you’re damaging your mental strength. You may not believe it, but everyone has
mental strength. Not everyone has the same amount of mental fortitude. But we all have
some degree of strength, which we use to make decisions, create habits, and learn new things.
Because everyone has mental strength, everyone also has mental weakness. We all have sore spots
and rough patches. We all encounter vulnerable experiences that activate our weaknesses.
So, don’t categorize yourself as one or the other. No one is consistently strong
or consistently weak. Because nothing in life is black or white. Everything exists on a spectrum.
You’re stronger in some areas and weaker than others. And you can always become stronger.
Ultimately, that’s the goal. You don’t need to become universally strong. All you need to do is
improve the person you are. If you can reorient your perspective, and focus on self-improvement,
you can create positive habits that push your mental strength in the right direction.
3. Righting Wrongs Here’s another mistake that
people routinely make. People who see themselves as mentally weak try to fix their weakness.
They want to right the wrongs in their life. They want to change the way they act, think, and grow.
But this mindset can become toxic and destructive. By trying to right your wrongs, you’re changing
your personality. You’re criticizing your unique characteristics instead of nurturing
a happier and healthier version of you. If you want to become mentally stronger,
there are two things you need to do. First, stop trying to change the person you are. You are not
weak, wrong, or incomplete. There’s nothing about you that you need to fix or transform.
Second, stop idealizing people who are mentally strong.
Mental strength is not an instant recipe for success, confidence, or satisfaction. By
becoming mentally strong, you’re not building a perfect life or a flawless personality.
You’re learning to like yourself. Mentally strong people are proud of who they are.
They’re mentally strong because they aren’t interested in changing their personalities.
They don’t feel ashamed of their quirks, and they don’t try to fix their weaknesses.
Instead, they find confidence in themselves. At the core of mental strength is a strong sense of
self. You should know and like the person you’ve become. Knowledge creates belief,
and belief gives you the courage to take risks, embrace change, and make hard decisions.
If there’s one habit on this list that makes you mentally weaker, it’s this one.
You don’t need to change. You don’t need to transform yourself into someone you’re not.
To create unstoppable mental strength, you need to give yourself permission to be who you are.
4. Forcing Positivity Are weak people consistently negative?
Are strong people blindly optimistic? Positivity and negativity are often associated with degrees
of mental strength. Strong people are considered positive, while weak people are considered
negative. But that’s not how it works. Stronger people don’t always see the silver
lining in every situation. They can be negative about their situation, and they don’t always
expect great things around every corner. Because anyone can be blindly optimistic.
Anyone can complain about their situation. But only a select few people can view the
world realistically, approaching new challenges with balance and control.
That’s the difference between mental strength and mental weakness. Stronger people realistically
evaluate their situation. They’re not overwhelmingly positive or consistently negative.
They don’t see the good or the bad in everything and everyone, because life is about balance.
So, what bad habit is damaging your mindset? Stop complaining about your friends, your job,
or your station in life. But don’t pretend you’re living in a perfect world. Life is full of ups and
downs—pros and cons. To create mental strength, recognize the good and the bad. That way, you can
find balance somewhere in the middle. 5. Suppressing Emotions
Here’s another common myth about mental strength. Mentally strong people are not
stoic or emotionally unavailable. In fact, the strongest people are also emotionally intelligent.
Mentally strong people aren’t afraid to cry when they feel sad or smile when they feel
happy. They show their emotions because they have control over the way they feel
Weaker people, on the other hand, suppress, ignore, and lose control of their emotions. They
want the world to see them as stoic and strong, so they eliminate all signs of weakness. But that’s
not what real strength looks like. Real strength is vulnerable and courageous. Real strength isn’t
ashamed to show its weakness and flaws. If you feel an emotion, don’t be afraid to
express that feeling out loud. Because there’s nothing wrong with the way you feel. If a movie
makes you sad, you should cry. If someone you love makes you happy, express your affection.
Showing your emotions, no matter what emotions they are, does not make you weak.
In fact, expressing your emotions is one of the best ways to build mental strength. Each time
you express your feelings, you develop a fuller understanding of who you are,
how you think, and what you want in this life. The more you understand your wants, needs,
and feelings, the easier it becomes to manage and fulfill them. That means controlling your anger,
coping with your sadness, and making rational decisions, no matter how emotional you get.
These things can be difficult, and they require years of practice.
But the strongest people manage their emotions, and they are never ashamed of the way they feel.
6. Hopeless Assumptions How often do you give up?
This bad habit affects a surprising number of people. When an obstacle is difficult,
confusing, or complicated, you assume that obstacle is impossible to overcome.
You tell yourself, “It’s hopeless…trying would be a waste of my time.” Instead of taking your
best shot, you walk away. You assume you’re going to fail. And you surrender all hope.
Here’s the problem with this destructive mindset. Most obstacles look intimidating,
or even impossible, from the outside. You convince yourself that you don’t know what you’re doing.
You assume your efforts are going to waste. You don’t believe in your ability to face the unknown.
In this situation, most people become defensive. Instead of failing to overcome a challenge,
you avoid the challenge altogether. You protect your ego from hardship and shame.
You run away… and you give up hope. If you want to become mentally stronger,
you need to experience failure. You need to take risks and put your ego on the line. Otherwise,
you stand no chance of finding success. No matter how difficult an obstacle seems, try your best to
rise to the occasion. There’s no guarantee you’re going to succeed or fail. But if you work hard and
stay on your toes, you always have a chance. 7. Pressure Anxiety
Can you perform under pressure? When the going gets tough, many people spiral out of control.
Your anxiety gets the best of you. You lose faith in yourself, and your confidence plummets.
Before you can build mental strength, you must learn how to navigate stressful situations.
The strongest people can relax under pressure and succeed in the tensest moments.
But this skill set takes years of practice. Strong people build mental strength by putting
themselves in stressful situations. They take risks. They become familiar with anxiety and
pressure. And they challenge themselves to succeed, no matter how high the stakes become.
Ultimately, the pressure shouldn’t affect your performance. It doesn’t matter how
many people are counting on you. In every situation, all you can do is your best.
The only tools you have at your disposal are your own,
and no amount of pressure is going to change that. Next time you’re in a stressful situation,
remember your limits. Remind yourself that you are just one person. You can do your best. You
can try your hardest. At the end of the day… that’s all that anyone expects. So, relax,
take a breath, and give it your all. Thank you for watching TopThink,
and be sure to subscribe, because more incredible content is on the way.