It’s Time to Become Mentally Strong

It was a Sunday morning at 10:30 a.m. I was on a video conference with a group of friends, talking about our school days, the journeys life has taken us on, travel stories, and plans for a reunion in December. Most of us now live in different countries, and many are planning to come back home during the holiday season.

Listening to everyone talk about their journeys made me think, I want to travel too.

A few days earlier, I had visited a coffee shop with a beautiful Vietnam-themed setup. The scenery caught my attention, so I took a picture with the Vietnam poster in the background and posted it on my WhatsApp status.

One of my previous contacts replied, saying that he was planning to go to Vietnam for work. I casually asked him, “If I have some work there too, can I come?”

His reply stayed with me:

“You have to believe in yourself. You can only help yourself.”

Coming back to that Sunday morning conversation, I was sharing some of my daily habits and talking about how I deal with different situations. Sometimes I handle things well, but there are also moments when I feel frightened or overwhelmed.

That’s when he said something very simple:

“You need to become mentally strong.”

Those words stayed with me.

I started wondering—what does it really mean to be mentally strong?

Is it about never being afraid? Never overthinking? Never feeling emotional?

Maybe not.

Maybe mental strength means feeling everything, but still choosing to move forward.

I already have things that help me—meditation, exercise, prayer, and trying to maintain positive habits. But I wanted to discover what else could help me become stronger from within.

One simple practice I came across was asking myself three questions every morning:

Today I can control: ______

Today I will accomplish: ______

Today I choose to let go of: ______

And at night:

What did I handle well today? ______

What can I learn from today? ______

I love the simplicity of these questions. They remind me that I don't have to control everything around me. I can focus on what is within my control, take one step at a time, and learn from whatever life brings.

Maybe becoming mentally strong isn't about becoming a different person.

Maybe it's about becoming a stronger version of myself—calmer, more confident, more grounded, and brave enough to believe that I can handle whatever comes next.

And perhaps that Vietnam picture wasn't just a picture after all.

Maybe it was a little reminder:

Believe in yourself. You can help yourself. And sometimes, becoming mentally strong is the first step toward the life you want to