Inner strength; I often wonder how well we do use this ultimate life learning tool which is strongly linked to willpower and self discipline. Inner strength simply means our ability to stand by our decisions; Our failure to employ our inner strength or our psychological potency can explain why we may waste time, procrastinate and perhaps fall short in certain areas of our life. For the purpose of this post I focus mainly on self discipline and persistence as aspects of Inner strength.
Self discipline; can be interpreted in difference ways but the key to self discipline is to train oneself to take actions that will enhance one life despite impending obstacles or hindrances which could range from; laziness, procrastination, inner resistance, bad habits, temptations, intrusive thoughts, esteem problems, fear, instance gratification and many more. Whist some of us are born with a strong will some of us have to to learn and train ourselves like a body builder who keeps pumping iron in spite of the pain. The “Resistance†to pain coupled with focus itself is the inner strength.
What comes to mind for me here is why is it that for some they are able to exercise self discipline in one area of their life and not the other ? For instance I have a friend who I love dearly. She is very successful in business yet extremely over weight which she finds quite depressing . She wants to lose weight at all cost but can’t seem to get her head round it . I don’t have any readymade answers but belief she has the tools of self discipline but perhaps is not ready to make changes in that area of her life .
Persistence; Unlike self discipline it’s our consistent ability to keep moving towards our goal(s) targets, regardless of our motivation levels which is bound to play up. “Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan “press on” has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race†~Calvin Coolidge.
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Tips to Build Inner Strength
I remember introducing wheatgrass supplements to my diet having read of the benefits. It comes in the tablet and powder form . I tried the powder version first with juice but it tasted awful so I went for the organic tablet option. You see… I dislike swallowing tablets but had to train my mind and kept reminding myself of the benefits of adding this to my diet . It took me about three months to get use to taking these tablets without throwing up! So here’s my point
1, Attend and defy your limiting beliefs, for instance some people may belief there are only good at one thing where there have not explored other avenues. Explore , persist , experiment despite uncertainty or fear .In my case I thought I will chocked on the tablets …… hehehe very funny .
2, Visit your thoughts as often as you can ,question and consistently challenge those that are not working for you!
3, Start working on your unconscious; there are various ways from visualization, prayers to mediation can be very powerful self improvement tools.
4,Once you have looked into YOU it’s time to start reshuffling your life into the direction you want it to be . It could be to lose weight, stop smoking, starting a new business , improving health or anything else which will improve the quality of your life and give you a sense of well being.
5, Write; There is something magical about writing and setting goals. “The discipline of writing something down is the first step towards making it happenâ€~ L.lacocca
6,Empower self : here you can tap into your existing strengths to propel you to that new direction. I belief we all have strengths in certain areas of our life like my friend who is very good at her business yet over weight .
7,Action, Once you have gone through the above steps it’s time to take action . “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doingâ€~ Walt Disney.
8, Start with baby steps if needed and build on that.
9, Keep the momentum; we can easily fall back to our old ways.
10, Repeat, repeat and spread your new found inner strength skills to other areas of your life.
Remember there is a wealth of self help motivation resources to tap into from yoga, martial arts to inner strength training activities and many more…. Good Luck .!
Do have any additional tips ? Please be Sure to Add Them… 
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3. February 2010 at 2:15 pm
Hello, great change always comes from inside, not from the outside. I’m glad you have written this article to remind people of that. I think steps 8 and 9 can go together. When we take baby steps, we gather momentum, and this results in bigger progress. Good job Fatima!
3. February 2010 at 8:36 pm
I agree with Hulbert that great change always comes from inside. Just as the quotation by Gandhi which I have always liked to share, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” So the change must indeed come from within us. You have touched on the key of making change, which is self-discipline and persistence. One area which I can often think of is losing weight. Many people have a great routine to start off that weight losing. However, they usually sabotage themselves with the lack of self-discipline which led to procrastination. Not only that, when they don’t see results soon enough, they give up and thus they lack persistence. Permanently losing weight requires one to change one’s eating habits and lifestyle. And in order to do that, one will need a lot of self-discipline and persistence.
4. February 2010 at 4:19 pm
These are wonderful suggestions! I am such a fan of #5 – a journal junkie I am! I recently wrote a post about it – giving our dreams a place to take root. I’m disciplined enough to have written in a journal for forty years – kind of persistent too. That is one area of my life that is just fine – the rest I usually tweak in my daily writing. Not a perfect system, but I’m happy!
6. February 2010 at 7:22 am
Fatima-as you say motivation is the key. When someone really wants to do something hell or high water they’re going to do it. So often people talk themselves into believing they want to achieve a certain goal, and then encounter incredible resistance, because it’s more of a “should” thing than a genuine passion. So I think it’s important for people to discover where their true passion lies so they don’t waste precious time and energy fighting against themselves.
6. February 2010 at 1:23 pm
Thanks @Hulbert, certainly change always comes from inside. As the likeness of resistance is high baby steps are obviously necessary in order not to abandon the goal/s totally.
Awesome @BK weight losing can be sooo difficult but then you have highlighted yet again the key areas needed. Thanks
Thanks @suZen Since I discovered the benefits of writing I have always kept a journal.
Thanks @NP Passion, this may explain why my friend is so good at her business ,she is so passionate about it.
7. February 2010 at 8:43 am
Hey Fatima, I notice your writing is getting much better! Your tips are very clear and comprehensive…anyone that follows them would surely be on a better path! Thanks for sharing.
7. February 2010 at 11:50 am
Thanks Steven Much appreciated