10 Rare Traits Of People With A Strong Light And Immense Inner Strength
Some people just shine from the inside.
Bricolage | Shutterstock It's inevitable that a person's life journey includes tough times, yet the way they handle those struggles says a lot about the kind of person they are.
Some people turn inward when they're faced with challenges, while others harness their hardships in a way that helps them shine.
Here are 10 rare traits of people with a strong light and immense inner strength
1. They always persevere
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People with inner strength and a strong light don't give up easily, even when life's path grows rocky and uneven. Instead of looking at the challenges ahead of them as impossibilities, they see issues as opportunities that will force them to grow.
According to a study published in Frontiers in Psychology, resilience can be defined as "The ability to withstand adversity or recover from stress and negative experiences." The researchers expanded on the definition to include the idea that resilience also determines "The ability to move forward and grow in response to difficulties and challenges; that is, to become stronger through adversity."
Cultivating strength in the face of life's challenges requires people to change when they need to and to believe in their own ability to get through hard times. Resilience is associated with having strong coping skills and learning approaches, which show that someone has high levels of self-regulation.
Persevering can protect people against acute or long-term stress and boost their overall well-being. The study also noted that resilience improves with life experiences, meaning that people can build up their emotional flexibility and inner strength, even when they're struggling.
2. They learn from their mistakes
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Nobody is perfect, yet our ability to accept our imperfections while striving to become our best selves is a defining factor of having immense inner strength.
A study published in the Journal of Educational Psychology found that there's immense value to making mistakes when we're learning something new. Researchers established that when a student is working in a low-stakes context, making mistakes on purpose, then correcting those mistakes enhances their learning experience. This technique, which is known as the "derring effect," helps people learn more than if they were trying to avoid making mistakes entirely.
Outside of an academic environment, mistakes are often not forgiven as easily, yet they can help us grow into stronger people. When we acknowledge what we've done wrong and work toward true repair, we learn just how deep our inner strength can be.
3. They are kind-hearted
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Kindness is often equated with weakness. In reality, it takes a lot of inner strength to be generous and kind-hearted, especially when someone has been through life's trials and tribulations.
A person without inner strength tends to isolate themselves and keep loved ones out when they're in trouble. It's common for people who were bullied to turn into bullies themselves, which is why it's so special when people don't grow hardened just because their lives are hard.
Having negative experiences can make people less willing to give their time and energy to others, because they're scared of being hurt again. Yet a person with strong light and inner strength knows that we can't shut the world out, even when we feel attacked.
The only way to heal is to surround ourselves with love, which will always lift us up when we're down, no matter how far we've fallen.
4. They radiate positive energy
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A person who has strong light and inner strength stays positive even when the world around them is negative. While there's such a thing as having toxic positivity, strong and enlightened people know how to balance their reality with a smile.
Despite what they've gone through, they still see the bright side of life. They don't let their problems get the best of them. They seek out alternative solutions when they need to, and they don't believe in dead ends or false starts.
Keeping an open mind and a positive approach to life takes a major amount of strength. It shows that your light will continue shining through, no matter how hard things get.
5. They ask for help
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Much like being kind, asking for help is another example of behavior we think makes us seem weak, when really, it shows how strong and capable we really are.
A study across eight cultures that focused on 363 people found that people ask for help every three minutes, and they usually get the help they're asking for.
The researchers found that people were three times more likely to help someone than ignore them or say no to their request for help, and around seven times more likely to help a person than reject them outright. Interestingly, people were equally likely to help family members and people they weren't related to, highlighting how cooperative actions are deeply ingrained in our common humanity.
A person with strong light and strength is willing to help other people, and they know the value of asking for help when they need it.
6. They stay calm amidst chaos
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Another indication that someone has inner strength and strong light is that they keep their cool during tense situations. They don't break under pressure, which makes them a solid friend and a valuable employee.
You might find your inner calm by letting your intuition guide you, or you might find it by channeling reason and rationality over your emotions. No matter how you access your strength, people want you on their side because they know just how well you handle the tough stuff.
Staying collected under pressure is the sign of a strong leader, because you know how to guide people out of rough waters to steadier seas.
7. They see beauty in the world
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When you've been hit by life's uglier side, it's easy to turn off your heart and dull your soul. But someone with strong light still sees the beauty that life has to offer, even though they've been knocked down.
In winter, they don't focus on barren trees and gray skies; instead, they see cold weather as a time to focus on themselves and facilitate inner growth. They're always sowing seeds of change, even when they have to wait for the sun to rise and help them bloom.
8. They are authentic
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Having inner strength is often built from a person's ability to be completely and totally themselves. They don't hide who they are because of mounting peer pressure or a need to fit in. They show up as their authentic selves and, because of that, they draw other people to them, becoming the most magnetic person in the room.
By letting your inner light out into the world, it means that you're not afraid to be unique, even if showing the authentic version of yourself leads to you losing friends who just don't get you. It takes deep wells of inner strength to be yourself, especially when life keeps trying to drag you down.
9. They practice gratitude
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Having a gratitude practice is important for our personal lives, and it also helps us find meaning in our professional lives, as well.
One study noted that expressing gratitude has a direct impact on people's happiness and life satisfaction, and it also supports our well-being in the workplace. The study emphasized the value of worker gratitude, noting that it helps support better mental health along with work-related outcomes, like high job performance and being committed to a company.
People who have inner strength and strong light appreciate everything about life, even the hardships, which often include the ups and downs of having a job. They know that the tough times make them even stronger and help them grow into the person they were meant to become. They understand that flowers don't blossom overnight. They know that a garden needs love, attention, and care to grow, yet they don't try to rush the process.
Part of being patient is also being grateful, even when change feels slow or your problems seem like they have no clear answer. Summoning gratitude, even for negative things, teaches us how to feel fulfilled with what we have, instead of always seeking more, which leads us to feel empty and disconnected.
10. They are unbothered
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At the end of the day, people with strong light and inner strength know that the only way out of hard times is to go through them. No matter how much trouble they see, they pride themselves on being unbothered.
They don't let life get them down, even when giving up seems like the only solution. They know that a stormy day never stays for long, and that it always gives way to sunshine.
Alexandra Blogier is a writer on YourTango's news and entertainment team. She covers social issues, pop culture, and all things to do with the entertainment industry.