Mentally Strong Men

           We've all seen or come to know, I would imagine, a man who we considered to be a mentally strong man.  As we came to know him we realized that the man behind the mask was the same man we were seeing.  There were no pretenses.  He was real.  And, didn't those kind of guys always seem to strike us as pretty darn admirable men?  Truth be told, most of us probably thought to ourselves "I wish I could be like that guy."

           What is it about those kind of men that make them what they are?  Here are 6 character traits that I believe are at the core of a mentally strong man:

1. They move on.  They don't waste time feeling sorry for themselves.
1. they don't let adversity control them
2. they look past the adversity toward the future
2. They embrace change.  They welcome challenges.
1. they don't fear change nor let it paralyze them
2. they adapt to change
3. They stay happy.  They don't waste energy on things they have no control over.
1. their cup is half full, never half empty
2. they look for the good, not the bad
4. They are kind, fair, and not afraid to speak up.
1. they are not sarcastic, and they don't put others down
2. they refuse to gossip
5. They are willing to take calculated risks.
1. they are not impulsive
2. they focus on the big picture
6. They celebrate the success of other people.  They don't resent that success.
1. they are humble about their own success
2. they are thankful about any success they might have had

           There is one other key quality of a mentally strong man that I have noted in every single man who was mentally strong--he was a God fearing man, very secure in his walk with Christ.  The single most mentally strong man was the example we can follow if we would so choose--Jesus Christ.

Bottom Line Thought:  Where do you fit in that continuum of characteristics that make a mentally strong man?