7 Reasons You Need Mental Strength to Be Successful

UPDATED: September 17, 2024
PUBLISHED: November 11, 2015

Everyone possesses mental strength to some degree. But the stronger you are, the more likely you are to achieve bigger and better goals.

Related: 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do

Here are seven reasons why you need mental strength to be successful:

1. Mental strength conquers self-doubt.

Whether your ambition is to run a marathon, or your goal is to double your revenue, you’ll likely experience self-doubt at one time or another. Questioning your goal—and your ability to achieve it—is a normal part of the attainment process. But when you’re mentally strong, you’ll be able to reframe your negative self-talk so you can continue working toward your goal with increased confidence.

2. Mental strength keeps you motivated.

It’s easy to stick to your goals when you feel motivated, but motivation waxes and wanes. Mental strength will help you keep moving toward your goal, even on the days you don’t feel like it. You’ll be able to dig deep and discover the inner strength you need when you’re tired, discouraged or unambitious.

3. Mental strength helps you tune out unhelpful advice.

Whether you want to please others or prove them wrong, other people’s opinions can easily drown out your own voice. Mental strength will help you tune out the unhelpful criticism and bad advice from those around you. Being strong will help you stay true to your values and keep you focused on making the best decisions, regardless of the feedback you receive from those around you.

4. Mental strength ensures you’ll learn from your mistakes.

Hiding your mistakes or making excuses for your blunders increases the chances that you’ll repeat those mistakes again. Mental strength helps you humbly accept responsibility for your actions so you can truly learn from your mistakes. With each lesson you learn, you’ll grow one step closer toward reaching your goal.

5. Mental strength provides courage to face your fears.

Stepping outside your comfort zone is difficult, but mental strength gives you the courage to face your fears head-on. When you’re feeling strong, you’ll have confidence that you can tolerate discomfort and you’ll be willing to move forward, despite your distress.

6. Mental strength assists you in bouncing back from failure.

While failure causes some people to give up, mentally strong people bounce back from failure even better than before. Mentally strong people have a high enough self-worth that they’re able to tolerate repeat failure without fear of ridicule. Building mental strength will help you use failure as a stepping stone to future success.

7. Mental strength helps you regulate your emotions.

The road to success is often filled with emotional highs and lows. If you lack adequate skills to regulate your emotions, you’ll struggle to resist temptation, delay gratification and take calculated risks. Mental strength is the key to controlling your emotions, so your feelings don’t cloud your judgement or lead you astray.

There will always be obstacles and challenges that threaten to derail your road to success. Building mental strength will help you develop resilience to life’s inevitable obstacles so you can overcome setbacks with confidence.

Related: 4 Characteristics of People Who Are Mentally Tough

Amy Morin

Amy Morin is a psychotherapist, college psychology instructor, and the author of 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do, a best-selling book that is being translated into more than 20 languages. In addition to private consultation, she provides mental strength training to individuals and groups through her Mental Strength eCourse, speaking engagements and workshops.

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