15 Things Only Strong People Do
As Bob Marley once said, "You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have." But what does it mean to be strong? Well, we can all agree that strong people and weak people are different, but what is it that sets these people apart?
What exactly do strong people do? Well, that's the question on our minds today. Alexer here are 15 things only strong people do. Welcome to alux.com, the place where future billionaires come to get inspired.
Number one: discomfort. Muhammad Ali once said, "I don't count the sit-ups. I only start counting when it starts hurting because they're the only ones that count." That's what makes you a champion. In order to grow, we have to experience discomfort. To learn anything, we first have to challenge ourselves. For example, when we learn to read as children, we first had to endure weeks or months of letters and words looking kind of like Egyptian hieroglyphics.
Learning or getting better at anything does require discomfort. Strong people actively seek out discomfort because they know that is how they become stronger.
Number two: delay gratification. Strong people are capable of withholding gratification if they know that doing so is crucial to their success. Consistently putting instant gratification above calculated long-term investments is the trait of a weak person.
For example, let's say you want to make a financial investment, but first you need the capital in order to make that investment. Well, for a weak person, attaining this extra capital would be a challenge. They would struggle to put in the time either to decrease their spending or increase their income.
A weak person only sees the here and now. They want that takeout or they don't want to pick up the extra shift at work. Strong people have the strength to put long-term success above instant gratification, like takeout or relaxing on the couch all the time. While they may have the same desires as a weak person, they're able to delay gratification so they can achieve even greater gratification down the road.
Number three: they set realistic goals. You might think that being strong means setting sky-high goals to work toward, but in fact, strong people create goals that challenge them but are still realistic. Now, while it's true we should always push ourselves, we have to stay grounded in reality too.
When weak people create goals for themselves, too often they set goals that are not realistically attainable, something like, "In six months’ time, I'll be a famous rapper." Weak people set goals like this because it makes them feel good in the short term. They picture themselves achieving this goal in the near future and think about how great it's gonna feel to have accomplished it.
Except they're almost certainly not going to be a famous rapper in six months’ time because it's just not realistic. When that weak person inevitably fails to achieve that goal, they feel inadequate and unaccomplished. So, in the long run, setting that goal was detrimental to them. A strong person, on the other hand, would set a goal more like, "In six months’ time, I'll have produced my first EP." Strong people create calculated and realistic goals for themselves and set themselves up for real success in the future.
Number four: admit fault when it's due. There isn't a single person that's ever lived who never made a mistake. It's impossible to achieve perfection; we can only work toward it. This is something that strong people are able to accept. They will never be perfect.
Because weak people are typically insecure, they often strive for perfection and consistently come up short. Then, when they make a mistake, they're forced to decide whether they should admit fault or try to act like they never did anything wrong. Admitting fault means you have to reveal to others that you fell short of perfection and, because a weak person suffers from insecurities, this is something they deeply struggle with.
Because stronger people either lack such deep insecurities or they just don't let those insecurities control them, they can admit fault because they know it's okay that they're not perfect and mistakes are simply a part of being human.
Number five: they refuse to indulge in self-pity. What does self-pity achieve? Nothing. Actually, really let that sink in. Self-pity does not and cannot ever achieve anything positive or productive. And if there's nothing to be gained from self-pity, then why allow yourself to engage in it?
Strong people understand this through and through. Strong people know that self-pity is merely a waste of time and mental resources that could be put to better use. Instead of a day wasted grieving over hardships and past mistakes, that day could be spent taking steps to better your situation.
Number six: they overcome their inner critic. We've all had negative thoughts about ourselves at some point in time, things like, "I'm not capable of that, I can't do this." But the problem with this way of thinking is it can become self-fulfilling. If you're always telling yourself that you're not good enough, you could end up causing these thoughts to be true because you infect yourself with doubt.
A strong person's internal voice is one that speaks positively and with self-assurance. Even when faced with adversity, a strong person might think to themselves, "This is hard, but if I keep trying with a little more time I’ll be better at it."
Number seven: they see challenges as opportunities. What emotions are conjured up when you hear the word "challenge"? Nervousness, apprehension, fear? When a strong person is handed a challenge, they see the grand picture. Now, while a challenge can mean extra work and stress, it also means opportunity.
Without challenges, a person can neither learn nor grow. A challenge can take the form of just about anything. For example, you could be transferred to a different department at work; suddenly you're a fish out of water. But this new role means learning new skills, meeting new interesting people, and gaining a new perspective.
While weak people shy away from challenges and tell themselves things like, "I don't have what it takes," a strong person embraces the challenge and tells themselves, "This is going to be difficult at times, but I can do it and what I'm going to learn here is definitely going to be worth it."
Number eight: they see the value in critiques. When a weak person is given negative feedback, it can feel like their world is crumbling around them. It often means they want to give up entirely on whatever they are working on.
But when a strong person is handed negative feedback, they consider themselves fortunate. Let's say your boss tells you the work you submitted isn't up to scratch. While a weak person would be overwhelmed by feelings of inadequacy, a strong person would value their boss's feedback. Yes, the negative feedback on their work is a bit of a setback, but with that feedback, they can hone their skills and grow professionally.
Number nine: focus on solutions over problems. Let's say your company is forced to downsize, and with little warning you're made redundant. This is hard news to accept, no matter if you're a strong or a weak person.
But what sets a strong person apart, though, is how they respond to the hand they're dealt. While a weaker person would go home and do little but cry and be depressed for days on end, a strong person would almost immediately start focusing on the solution to this problem. In this case, the solution is to find a new job.
A strong person would start setting goals for themselves, such as applying to at least three job postings a day. Focusing your mental resources on the solution rather than the problem itself not only is more productive but also prevents you from fixating on something negative that is outside of your control.
Number ten: attack unproductive negativity. It's impossible to never have any negative thoughts, and sometimes we simply need to think about negative things. However, unproductive negativity is referring to negative thoughts that have no desirable outcome.
For example, thinking about unhappy memories in a past relationship; ruminating over memories like these is serving nobody any good. Whenever a strong person starts to feel negative thoughts creeping in, they attack those thoughts and don't let that negativity prevail.
Taking stock of what's going right in life is the one tool that strong people deploy to do this. So, when a strong person starts thinking about how poorly their past partner treated them, they instead direct their mind to think about all the wonderful things that their friends have done for them recently.
If you want to become a strong person, attack negativity with positivity. A great way to start, and something a lot of people do each day, is to state three positive things that are in your life each morning. Start a gratitude journal; whether big or small, find those three positive things about your life and remember them anytime negativity starts rearing its ugly head.
Number eleven: know their worth. Undervaluing ourselves is a common human trait. When we don't know our worth, we leave ourselves vulnerable to being taken advantage of. Strong people are able to accurately value their worth; they know if something is worth their time or not.
For example, if a friend who's been consistently neglecting the friendship suddenly calls to ask for a favor, a strong person would realize they're worth more than this friend is willing to give. Knowing our worth is connected to our ability to say no. Strong people can say no without hesitation; they only agree to do things they know will make them happy or will have actual benefit.
Number twelve: they ask for help without feeling like a burden. Strong people push themselves hard. They like to challenge themselves and intentionally push the boundaries of their comfort zone, but they're also not afraid to ask for help when they need it.
While weak people are often afraid to show vulnerability and therefore don't like asking for help, strong people aren't. A strong person is more concerned about enhancing their skill set than they are about protecting their ego. That's because strong people are self-assured enough to know that asking for help isn't a sign of weakness; it's a sign of strength.
Number thirteen: never compare themselves to others. Comparing oneself to others is a trait of the weak. While we all know that doing this is entirely unproductive and futile, strong people are very intentional about how they spend their time and mental resources, and so they refuse to allow themselves to entertain the concept of comparing themselves to others.
Mentally strong people are able to appreciate both themselves and others without feeling any sense of jealousy or resentment. Strong people are more focused on comparing their current selves to their past selves.
Number fourteen: they respect and even like their competitors. Because strong people are self-assured and know their worth, competition doesn't intimidate them. They don't feel as if they need to compete with others.
Strong people often like to spend time with competitors since the competitor can often be the greatest teacher. Instead of worrying about keeping up with a competitor, strong people use other people's strengths to their advantage. They observe what their competitor is getting right and wrong and then use this information to inspire further self-growth.
Number fifteen: let go. There's unlikely to be a single person on Earth that hasn't felt hard done by at some point in life. Whether you are treated unfairly by your boss, betrayed in a relationship, or disappointed by a friend, we've all felt the emotion of burning resentment.
The only difference is that strong people are able to eventually let go of any resentment and not hold on to a grudge. Sometimes it's possible to come to a resolution, and you can make amends with that person who treated you poorly, but sometimes this isn't possible.
When we have to move forward with unresolved conflict or negative experiences, it can be difficult to let go of any feelings of resentment toward that person. But strong people are able to recognize that holding on to these feelings is unproductive and, in fact, it only serves to disadvantage ourselves.
And that's a wrap on today, Alexer. But since you stuck with us until the very end, we've got a bonus for you, and that is number sixteen: they know when to quit. Quitting is what weak people do, right? Well, not always. Sometimes quitting is exactly what we need to do.
Strong people know their worth, so they know when enough is enough and it's time to let go. Let's say you're in a toxic relationship or a dead-end job. If you've already exhausted the resources that a situation can provide you with, then you're no longer being rewarded for what you're investing in that situation.
Staying in that situation is achieving nothing positive, but quitting isn't always easy. Fear of the unknown is often what stops weak people from quitting when they know they should. Strong people are better at knowing when to pull the plug because they've got greater faith in themselves. They know their worth more than that dead-end job or toxic relationship is giving them.
Strong people know that while the unknown can be scary and uncomfortable, discomfort is necessary for growth. And sometimes quitting is the best decision you could ever make.
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