People with a strong spirit have many great things going for them. They handle life’s ups and downs much easier. They also approach living with passion and an inner fire, and live a very vibrant life.
Of course, we all want to be mentally strong. But how do you know if you have a strong spirit?
Strong spirits manifest themselves both mentally and emotionally. Here are 31 clear signs that you’ve got a strong spirit.
1) You’re true to yourself
If you have a strong spirit, you live a life that is aligned with your values.
You’ll do this by first taking the time to identify what’s truly important to you. You consider what you stand for and what you are willing to protect and fight for at all costs. You’ll keep these values in mind when making all decisions, and make choices aligned with your values.
In this way, you’ll live a life of peace and harmony.
2) You’re willing to change
A clear sign of having a strong spirit is always being open to change.
You know that you’re not perfect and that no human being is a finished product. We have the capacity for great change, and indeed life will offer us many opportunities to do so.
If we want to make the most of life, we must take as many of these opportunities as possible. This is the only way that we can grow as people and become the best versions of ourselves.
But how can you actually embrace the change and be willing for new opportunities?
Personally, something that helps me free my mind from socially learned thoughts and behaviors is to think about toxic habits I’ve unknowingly picked up. I’ve learned this in this eye-opening video from the shaman Rudá Iandé.
Just think about it.
What are some toxic habits you’ve picked up without even realizing them?
Maybe you think that you need to be accepting of everything around you. Or you try to praise yourself over people who lack self-awareness.
The truth is that these habits make you achieve the opposite of what you’re searching for.
That’s why you need to free your mind from these thoughts!
I’m sure that this will help you realize how to empower yourself and embrace true spirituality.
So, if this is what you’d like to achieve, click here to watch the free video.
3) You balance self-acceptance with self-improvement
Strong spirits practice both self-acceptance and self-improvement.
On one hand, self-acceptance is necessary for our peace and happiness. Everyone makes mistakes, and we have to allow ourselves to make them too.
On the other hand, we cannot embrace everything we do wrong without trying to do anything to improve on it. Otherwise, we would be letting ourselves continue to hurt everyone around us.
Strong spirits know that self-acceptance and self-improvement must work hand in hand. Together, these two things will give us peace, yet keep us moving forward to something better.
4) You’re happy for others
A good sign of having a strong spirit is being genuinely happy for other people’s successes.
The fact that someone else has reached a goal doesn’t mean that you are any less capable or successful. On the contrary, someone else’s win can inspire you or even help you to achieve your own objectives!
As a strong spirit, you’ll recognize this. You’ll see everyone’s achievements as something to celebrate rather than fear. You show your support for these people as a way to spread joy and positivity in your community.
5) You bounce back from failure
If you have a strong spirit, you’ll be able to bounce back from failure.
You won’t let obstacles stop you from going after your dreams, and you will never give up. You also won’t let failure affect your self-worth or try to mask it from other people.
You’ll be able to see failure as an opportunity for growth and learning. It gives you more experience and prepares you for the next step in your journey.
6) You’re grateful for what you have
A sure sign of having a strong spirit is practicing gratefulness.
Instead of whining and complaining about what you don’t have, you focus on abundance. You’ll realize that nothing lasts forever. You’ll take the time to appreciate moments while they last, and you’ll know that in some ways you’re much luckier than others.
7) You focus on what you can control
You know you have a strong spirit if you focus on what you can control.
There are many things you won’t agree with or be happy with. Most of these will be completely out of your control. What point is there in wasting energy on them if your efforts won’t produce results?
Luckily, there are many things you can control, too. Strong spirits will always look for these things and prioritize them. In essence, this means you always start from yourself, and how you can be better.
8) You balance emotions with logic
Another sign of having a strong spirit is the ability to balance emotions with logic.
Emotions are an important part of our being. They exist to be felt, and they can teach us many valuable things. However, it is dangerous to be swept up in them without examining where they come from.
Some emotions might be good, and point out the best direction for us. Other emotions might stem from negative experiences or trauma. These are counterproductive to the goals we want to reach.
Strong spirits recognize this difference. They work to examine where their emotions are coming from. This way they can decide if it makes sense to follow their emotions, or if it’s time to apply logic instead.
9) You challenge the status quo
If you have a strong spirit, you won’t be afraid to challenge the status quo.
A strong spirit gives you the power to question everything. You won’t just accept things at face value or conform to a norm that doesn’t suit you. You’ll actually consider if the way things are done now makes sense, or if there is any room for progress.
This lets you think outside of the box and come up with new ideas. Your attitude fosters progress for all of society and puts you at the forefront of positive change.
10) You’re decisive
A good way to know if you have a strong spirit is if you’re decisive.
You aren’t wishy washy or agonize over your decisions. You take the time to consider what’s important at this moment. You’ll weigh all the factors and listen to your heart and emotions as well.
When you make the decision, you do it with confidence. You stick with it and follow through on it. And if you realize you made a mistake, you don’t dwell on it. You simply take it into consideration for the next time around.
11) You recognize your faults
Another great sign that you have a strong spirit is recognizing your faults.
This means that you’re willing to own up to your mistakes and don’t try to hide them or blame them on others. You’ll know that making a mistake doesn’t define you or make you any less worthy.
A strong spirit gives you the ability to recognize your mistakes without calling into question your whole self-worth. This allows you to work on yourself, and makes dealing with you much easier for others.
12) You have a growth mindset
You’ve surely heard of the growth mindset — did you know it’s also a sign you have a strong spirit?
People with a growth mindset believe that everyone has the capacity to grow in anything they want. Our current skills, values, or even personality traits are not fixed. We can always take action to shape them in any way we want them to.
If you have a strong spirit, you fully embrace this attitude.
13) You’re reliable
Reliability is another sign you have a strong spirit.
This means that people can depend on you to fulfill your promises. You know what you can and cannot deliver, and you’re clear and upfront about this. You don’t make promises you cannot carry out.
If you ever aren’t able to keep your word, you have a valid reason. You let the people involved know right away. Through this good communication, you’re able to avoid causing big problems.
14) You question everything
Having a strong spirit gives you the ability to question everything, even yourself.
You don’t just take people’s word and believe everything you come across. You’re not afraid to apply your own mind to examine the facts and form your own opinion.
This applies even to yourself. Just because you believed something yesterday doesn’t mean it’s still true or helpful today. Things can change, your opinions can change, and you can find new beliefs that serve you better as you grow.
15) You’re passionate and enthusiastic about life
Having a strong spirit makes you utterly passionate and enthusiastic about life.
You’ll want to put your 100% into everything you do. You find plenty of things to be happy about, and feel joy in its fullest capacity.
This is a great sign that you have a strong spirit, as you don’t let fear stop you from living life to its fullest.
16) You’re confident in yourself
Confidence is a great way to identify strong spirits.
You know your worth, and you’re excited to share it with everyone around you. You don’t let others beat you down, and you take negativity with a grain of salt.
Of course, this doesn’t mean you believe you’re perfect. On the contrary, you know both your good traits and your shortcomings. But you don’t let your weaknesses stifle your strengths.
17) You’re generous
Generosity is a great sign that you have a strong spirit.
Mental strength gives you a mindset of abundance. You believe in lifting others up, and that there’s enough in the world to go around for everyone. You won’t feel cheated or depleted if you give something of yourself to others.
You also don’t do this expecting anything in return. You give from the heart, pouring positivity into the community that surrounds you.
18) You’re an open-minded listener
A strong spirit means you’re able to listen to others with an open mind.
You have opinions that you stand by, and you have reasons for believing in what you believe in. But you recognize that you’re not always necessarily right. Nobody has the monopoly on truth, and we’re all constantly growing and evolving.
You’re confident enough in your beliefs to listen to people who disagree with you. You don’t feel the need to get defensive or worked up. You listen with an open mind and know that what you hear might even give you some valuable insights.
19) You’re proactive
A good sign that you have a strong spirit is that you’re proactive.
You don’t wait around expecting problems to solve themselves. You also don’t leave change solely up to others. You take life by the horns and actively look for solutions yourself.
In this way, you take the front seat in shaping positive change. You don’t settle for anything less than the best.
20) You face up to problems
A strong spirit helps you face up to problems.
Of course, problems never feel pleasant. But the fact that they’re uncomfortable doesn’t mean that running away from them helps us at all. If you have a strong spirit, you’ll know this and have the inner strength to acknowledge problems. This helps you face them head on and ultimately do something about them.
21) You’re always eager to learn
As a strong spirit, you’re always eager to learn more things and grow as a person.
You don’t consider yourself superior to anyone. You also don’t believe that you already know everything there is to know. Rather, you’re open to any and every opportunity to learn. This might even come in surprising places.
This kind of mindset from having a strong spirit lets you make the most of life.
22) You balance optimism with realism
One of the top signs that you have a strong spirit is if you balance optimism with realism.
In other words, you focus on the positive, but you don’t let it blind you. You realize that you must see things for what they are, and sometimes they aren’t very pretty. There’s no use trying to sugarcoat them, or make them into something they’re not.
On the other hand, there is something good to be found in even bad situations. Looking for this lets you get the most happiness you can out of life. You’ll be able to make the best out of any situation.
23) You’re hardworking
Being hardworking is a good way to know that you have a strong spirit.
You always work hard for what you want to achieve. You dream big, but you don’t forget that dreams are only the seed. They don’t come true on their own, you need to execute them.
Your dreams lead to concrete efforts and action. You aren’t afraid to do this even though it might be uncomfortable.
24) You don’t compare themselves to others
A good way to know if you have a strong spirit is that you don’t compare yourself to others.
Instead, you will compare your present self to your past. You’ll look at the progress you’ve made in your own personal journey. After all, everyone is different. You can’t compare your beginning to another person’s finish line.
This also means you don’t try to make yourself feel better by looking for ways you’re superior to anyone else.
25) You have high emotional awareness
If you want to know if you have a strong spirit, consider your emotional awareness.
Strong spirits take the time to examine feelings and where they come from. We realize that feelings are there to help us guide our way through life and tell us important things.
Feelings might let us know that something needs to change. They could tell us that something is hurting us. Or, we might discover our friends and partner thanks to feelings.
A strong spirit takes the time to examine feelings and uncover what they are telling us.
26) You give and receive support
A strong spirit will look at support from both directions.
Receiving support is necessary to get through life’s hard moments. But receiving support is equally important. If you only take and never give, you will be draining the people around you. You’d also be robbing yourself of an opportunity for a greater sense of fulfillment.
27) You have a sense of humor
A good sense of humor is a great sign that you have a strong spirit.
Life is full of ups and downs, but a strong spirit always lets you look at the bright side of things. You’re able to laugh at yourself, realizing that life isn’t perfect. Life is much more pleasant when it isn’t serious all the time.
28) You focus on what really matters
A strong spirit makes you stand out for your ability to focus on what really matters.
There are lots of things you could do with your life. But your energy and time aren’t endless. If you have a strong spirit, you’ll take some time to think about what’s really important to you. You’ll then focus on investing time and energy into those things as a first priority.
This lets you keep your life focused on things that reflect your deepest desires and values.
29) You face your fears
If you have a strong spirit, one of the signs is that you face your fears.
This doesn’t necessarily mean it feels pleasant to you. Fears are never comfortable, and nobody enjoys feeling afraid. But a strong spirit lets you push through the fear to what you really want, on the other side. You’ll have the strength to endure this journey, and know that it is worth it.
30) You seek feedback and constructive criticism
A sure sign of a strong spirit is seeking feedback and constructive criticism.
Feedback is everywhere around us, but if you have a strong spirit, you welcome it with open arms. You don’t fear it just in case it’s negative or brings to light any of your shortcomings.
Rather, you’re eager to hear if your intent aligns with the perception others have of you. You’ll want to hear both the positive and the negative so that you can continue to grow and improve.
31) You set healthy boundaries with people
One of the best signs of having a strong spirit is that you set healthy boundaries with other people.
You’ll have a clear idea of what you expect from other people. You’ll also know what you are willing to tolerate from everyone. You’ll be clear and firm on your boundaries, but communicate them with kindness.
You’ll have reasons for your boundaries that align with your values. Ultimately, these boundaries aren’t an obstacle for your relationships. They are a way to keep them healthy for everyone involved.
Final thoughts
These 31 signs will give you a pretty good idea of if you have a strong spirit. You might recognize yourself in some of them, most of them, or even very few of them. Whatever the case, the good news is that inner strength is something you can always improve!
Consider the signs of strong spirits that you can’t relate to right now, and work on them.
You’ll be able to build up your strength over time.
