“Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.” - Mahatma Gandi
When do you know you’re strong?
Is it when you’re able to lift heavy weights or you’re able to bench press a hundred lbs at the gym?
While having physical strength is an advantage in virtually any situation, having mental strength and toughness.
Sometimes, when life gives you the hardest battles to fight, and especially when it’s one after another, it seems so much easier to just give up. You find yourself questioning, “what’s the point in fighting if there’s no winning anyway?”.
However, most of the time, and contrary to popular belief, winning isn’t everything. The number of times you lost is also the number of times you realized where you went wrong and the number of times that you tried again.
Before you raise the white flag and count yourself out of anything, DON’T! You are so much stronger than you give yourself credit for, and here are 5 amazing reasons why:
You’re still here
In all the years of your life, you’ve probably gone through so much and in each of those instances, you probably thought it’s something you wouldn’t get over. But look at yourself, 5 years after that breakup and you’re still here.
COVID-19 put everyone’s lives on hold and it’s not something you (or anyone else) could have prepared for, but look at you now, more than a year after, still able to put one foot in front of the other and carry on.
All of that, and you’re still here. Beaten down, probably, but given up? Nah.
You now know that “quitting” is reserved only for things that are not for you or are not good for you, but never on you.
You’ve identified your strongest ally
Yup - it’s you. You’re strong because you know you can count on yourself when push comes to shove. You know you got your back when things get hard and you know it now more than you’ve ever known it your entire life.
You’re learning to invest in your focus and clarity in the same way that you invest your time and resources in people. You know to say “me too” and prioritize your mental health because you know that a stronger “you” means a stronger friend, parent, employee and person.
You know that if you bet on yourself, you’ll never lose.
You’re learning to identify your limiting beliefs, breaking them and creating new liberating ones for yourself.
You know better than to be in the company of people who are bad for you and who dim your light. You’re learning to narrow your circle and keep only the people who truly, genuinely have your best interests at heart.
As a human being, you give yourself the grace to have “human moments” at times. You allow yourself to cry, break down and question the universe. But you pick yourself right back up, start your engine and get back on track.
You also realize the time it needs you to transition from the state of wallowing to getting back up is shorter and shorter each time.
You already know you’ve got whatever life gives you - because you’ve got you.
You've changed and adapted to change
Go through your Facebook memories and look at the post you made 10 years ago.
Do you think the “you” now would have lost sleep over something that kept you up at night 10 years ago?
Probably not.
You may not realize it, but you have grown and changed so much throughout your life. You have evolved and continued to do so as you go through life and this has allowed you to survive and thrive amidst all life’s challenges.
You know that change is inevitable, and while it’s taking you a little longer to adjust to some of life’s changes, especially those that need you to move out of your comfort zone, you know that it’s an essential process in life and it will only get you to where you need to be.
You know when to ask for help
While you know that you are your greatest asset, you also know that there are people out there who want to see you win.
You build genuine connections with these people and seek their help when you need to. You build mutually beneficial relationships with them and these relationships help give you perspective.
You now know that asking for help is not a sign of weakness, but rather a sign of being human.
You're hopeful
To be hopeful is to be optimistic about the future. It’s something you don’t see, something you can’t measure and sometimes, something you don’t even have the evidence for.
Life may have brought you down to your knees, but there’s a fire in your heart that although may sometimes dim, can never be extinguished. You know very well to protect this light because it lights your way and motivates your actions.
A study published in the Journal of School Psychology posits that hope may be considered a psychological strength that can “protects” adolescents when facing life’s challenges.
Your hope makes you optimistic and keeps you going. It tells you what however dire your situation is today, there will be a tomorrow, and that tomorrow is another chance to change things.
You’re not wishing for any more problems, no you’re not.
But you also know that in life, with all its unpredictable twists and turns, problems will come.
And when they do come, you’ll be your usual amazing and resilient self, only so much stronger.
Hero Image by Matheus Ferrero on Unsplash
