Jude Paler
We live in a world where we are constantly bombarded with images and messages about how our lives aren’t good enough.
No matter where you turn on the internet, there is someone who has more than you, does more than you, and creates more than you.
No wonder so many people are struggling just to get through life: we expose ourselves to these seemingly positive messages on the regular and don’t realize that they are actually quite negative.
So what separates the mentally strong women from those who suffer the consequences of allowing these messages to permeate into their lives?
I believe it all has to do with what strong women don’t do.
Here are 14 things strong women never, ever do (so you shouldn’t either).
1) Strong women don’t compare themselves to others.
A strong woman doesn’t need to know what others are doing in order to make herself feel good. She doesn’t need to see others struggling to feel like she’s winning.
More importantly, I believe she is glad for others who get what they want because it means she’s also able to get what she wants in life.
2) Strong women don’t let their self-doubt get in the way of their dreams.
Even mentally strong women have doubts about life, but that doesn’t mean that she lets those doubts stop her.
Mentally strong women are able to pick up and go without fear that they’ll let themselves down.
Others who let doubt creep in often succumb to thoughts that they aren’t good enough.
3) Strong women don’t avoid hard things.
Doing hard things makes you braver, stronger, and more successful. My belief is that mentally strong women are able to pick up and do the things they need to do to move forward. It’s not always easy, but it is always worth it.
4) Strong women don’t blame themselves when things don’t work out.
I think one of the key traits of a mentally strong woman is that she doesn’t get down on herself when things aren’t going as planned.
She’s not going to let a little slip up throw her off track. She’s capable of picking herself up and carrying on in a meaningful way, even when the going gets tough.
5) Strong women don’t let their brains overthink things.
Women are known for being overthinkers and in many cases, that’s a good thing. When it comes to getting what you want in life and being successful, mentally strong women don’t let their brains win the battle. It’s easy to get sidetracked, but mentally strong women can stay the course.
6) Strong women don’t put others down to make themselves feel better.
Some women cut others down to make themselves feel better, but it’s not the only way.
I believe mentally strong women work to build others up because she knows that when others feel good, everyone wins.
Dragging others down to make yourself feel better is for the weak.
7) Strong women don’t worry about what other people are doing.
Comparison kills dreams. Don’t be fooled into thinking you need to pay attention to what everyone else is doing. You don’t.
Mentally strong women don’t pay attention to what their competition is doing. She’s fine to stand on her own two feet no matter what.
8) Strong women don’t focus on perfection.
Perfection will slow women down, and although society puts a lot of pressure on women to be perfect, a mentally strong woman knows better.
Given enough time, everything works out. And if it doesn’t, it wasn’t supposed to in the first place.
9) Strong women don’t think being vulnerable is a sign of weakness.
You might think that strong women don’t show emotions, but the opposite is true. Being vulnerable is a sign of strength, not weakness.
Strong women know their thoughts and emotions and are able to feel them through in order to learn something from them.
It’s worth feeling low sometimes so you can experience the high when the breakthrough happens.
10) Strong women aren’t afraid to express how they feel.
They take their time to form an opinion, but once they do, they won’t be afraid to stand by it.
They’re not afraid to stand up for what they believe in, especially when they know it’s right.
Injustice and poor behavior just plain irks them, so if you treat other people with disrespect, they’ll call you out and make you look foolish.
11) Strong women don’t try to please everyone
Strong women don’t seek outside validation. They do the right thing to help others, but they don’t go out of their way to please everyone around them.
People pleasers tend to have low self-confidence because their worth depends on other people.
True confidence comes from the inside, not from the outside.
Strong women know they’re doing amazing things with their life and continue to focus on their dreams and goals.
The fact that you have haters is a good sign that you’re actually doing something with your life.
12) Strong women don’t make fun of other people
Putting other people down is a tactic used mainly by insecure people to make themselves feel better and look better by comparison.
Strong women tend to have inner strength and they use that strength to support the people around them.
When you’re comfortable with who you are and what you offer in the world, you don’t feel a need to artificially make yourself better in front of others.
13) Strong women don’t overcompensate to impress
Some people may buy fancy cars and big houses as soon as they reach success, showing everyone just how much money they have in the bank.
Sure, you may impress people with your things, but you won’t impress them with you.
A strong woman doesn’t feel the need to show off her material possessions because she’s not trying to impress anyone. She is already comfortable and secure with herself.
Strong women create genuine relationships based on shared histories and fun memories because these are the friendships that truly matter.
Superficial ones built off the back off your latest sports car? The moment your car is gone, the friendship is gone, too.
13. Strong women don’t bother gossiping
Gossiping doesn’t feel like time well spent for a truly confident person.
There’s not much point to it, and most of the time, all you’re really doing is talking bad about someone else who can’t defend themselves.
A strong person realizes that another person’s private life is none of their business.
And when you engage in gossip, all it serves to do is make yourself more judgemental and toxic.
A strong woman prefers to be compassionate rather than judgemental.
Rather than gossiping about people behind their backs, a strong woman focuses on working towards the goals that she has set for herself.
14. Strong women don’t surround themselves with people who bring them down
As the famous quote says: “You’re the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”
A strong woman doesn’t want to hang out with toxic or mean people.
They don’t want to spend time with people who belittle them or gossip about other people.
Instead, a strong woman makes sure to spend time with people that are just as optimistic as they are.
People who have goals and don’t treat other people like doormats.
It’s not easy to let go of people in life, but sometimes it’s necessary to improve your attitude and life.
A strong woman wants to focus on their goals, and the best way to do that is to get rid of things that bring you down.
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