“Life is a battlefield… I am not just a survivor, but a warrior in it.” A very strong saying that pretty much sums up what we’re going through in life.
Life is full of challenges and exciting moments. Adversities honed our personalities, and good times made our life colorful. But reality speaking, the only thing you can do when good times come, is to embrace and enjoy it while it lasts. Because whether you like it or not, challenges and problems will find their way to you no matter how hard you avoid them.
So what do you have to do when struggles and tough times arise? You have to build a strong inner foundation for your life. No need to think a lot, because the answer will all be discussed in this article, so stick with me until the end. And while you read, contemplate and analyze each advice, as you relate it into your life.
Why is building a strong inner foundation important in our life?
Having a strong inner foundation will prevent you from having emotional breakdown. It will give you a sense of direction so you will know what to do in case you have to face difficulties and disappointments. Furthermore, it will also prevent you from making quick decisions when you’re happy and desperate actions when you’re sad. In short, a strong inner foundation will be your ultimate guide towards your life’s journey.
Elements that makes a strong inner foundation:
- Mindset – your mental attitude that will dictate your decisions and actions.
- Values – your beliefs that will dictate your actions.
- Habits – your everyday routine and behavior toward situations.
- Strengths – your ability to deal with hardships.
- Relationships – your circle and how they affect your life.
How to build a strong inner foundation
- Right mindset
The brain is the most powerful organ in our body. When it controls our mood, our emotions get affected. And when it controls our thoughts, our actions get involved. And we all know that emotions and actions play a very important role in our life. And this is where the ‘right mindset’ should take place. To have the right mindset, you have to be an optimistic person. Whatever happens, good or bad, always see the big picture in it. If something goes wrong, see it as a lesson to learn. And if something good happens, know that you deserve it. You also have to free your mind from overthinking. Overthinking just creates problems and scenarios that didn’t even exist in the first place, and it is the root cause of unhappiness.Life is too short to overthink. Have blissful thinking instead - Firm values
Your beliefs will dictate your actions. So if your principle and intention is good, you will do good to others. Of course, all of us never had the intention of doing any harm. Harm only comes when you need to do something for yourself that makes you selfish. For your own needs and satisfaction, you disregard the feelings of others, and you don’t care if your decisions will affect them negatively. You don’t live to please others, yes that’s true. But you don’t live to harm others as well. To have a firm principle and values, learn to manage yourself by establishing emotional stability. Train yourself to master your emotions. You don’t need a reaction to everything, and think first before you act. Practice how to maintain calm during arguments and self-control during tough decisions. Never let your fear and anger control your decision making. In addition, do not make decisions when you’re happy, because you may say yes to things that you
don’t even mean in the first place. Stop the drama, resist the hype. - Good habits
‘Watch your actions as they become your habits’. And your habits become your character. So if you’re a person who always thinks negatively, your actions will always be negative. And unknowingly, you slowly develop a routine and habit that is not good for yourself and others. Basic example is the selfish mindset like ‘This is who I am, so deal with it’. You may think this is a strong personality, but no it isn’t. A person of this mindset tends to say hurtful things to others that they don’t even care about. And because they think this way, it becomes their personality. And since it’s already part of their personality, everyone they talk to gets treated this way. You won’t even know that a certain person could be battling with depression or hardships. But because of that habit you developed, you hurt his/her feelings. Not everything is about you, so you should be mindful of your words and actions too. In conclusion, establish a good habit by being a person with a good heart. - Focus on strengths
The best thing about our strengths is that it helps us deal with the difficulties in our lives. However, it’s not just the strength that you should be paying attention to, but your weaknesses as well. Weaknesses will be your ultimate ‘push’ towards improving and knowing yourself. It serves as a balance to show that we are not perfect. But keep in mind to focus on your strengths by not dwelling on your weaknesses. When you identify your strengths, concentrate on them. Because your strengths are stronger than your weaknesses, and it will drag your negative energy towards positivity. That’s how you will conquer battles. - Healthy relationships
‘No man is an island’. Even introverts need to be with someone for some time. Socializing and being around people prevents the feeling of isolation. The question is, is your circle healthy enough to turn you into a better person? Are they supporting you towards your goals? Are you learning from them? In order to build a strong inner foundation, the people surrounding you must give you positive energy. Because if not, they will just drag you down. So make sure you’re ready to cut down toxic people in your life. Surround yourself with people who respect your opinions, value your principles, support your goals and love your flaws. Having those kinds of people in your life is called the ‘circle of positivity’.
