by Navin Rajendran

Created on: January 31, 2010

Let's face it. there IS no panacea for obstacles in life. The make-or-break in each problem-situation depends on ourselves though, especially on our attitudes on this battle-field called LIFE. This is where a strong mind helps, to think clearly and face challenges with the right attitude. Note that the emphasis is on the word FACE and not RUN AWAY from or AVOID. Why? Simply because life throws challenges at us, much like a tennis ball machine hurls balls at the player and we HAVE to figure out how to play each one. One main difference between the machine and life is that in the latter, there’s no forewarning before there’s a change in the speed or frequency of the ‘balls’ coming at you!

Whether we emerge stronger or weaker from each experience of overcoming each hurdle that lie in our path to an 'easy life' depends on how we apply our mind. A strong mind is able to look through the pall of gloom and identify an solution for any problem, be it personal or professional in nature, a solution that also provides an opportunity for advancement and a lesson to be learned. Such an attitude allows us to not just get by, get over obstacles and move on. It empowers us to 'move ahead'. Such a mind can see the proverbial ‘silver lining’ among the ‘dark clouds’.  One may debate that this is all easier said than done. True! But then, no one said Life was a ‘piece of cake’.

Developing a strong mind requires self-confidence, positive thinking, clarity of thought, perseverance and a genuine desire to succeed. Success is relative and could mean different things to different people– building meaningful, long-lasting relationships, advancement in career, achievement of personal goals – losing weight, learning a new skill, getting organized, etc. The list is as varied as there are people on Earth.

Let’s take a quick look at the key ingredients of a strong mind now:

-        Self-confidence: It all starts with loving the person in the mirror, accepting what you see, and believing that the self-image is strong, confident

-        Positive thinking: The ability to see the glass ‘half-full’ every time

-        Clarity of thought: The ability to focus on one problem at a time and make a careful decision and most importantly, follow through with it and not have ‘second thoughts’

-        Perseverance: Dogged determination, with a never-say-die attitude

Henry Ford once said, “Whether you think you can or whether you think you can't, you're right.” Of course, now we know it is all in the mind. The question that remains now is, “How strong is yours?”

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