Strength

What does strength mean to you? Merriam-Webster provides nine definitions for this term, but each person has their own meaning of strength. Nonetheless, I want to focus on the first definition, the quality or state of being strong: the capacity for exertion or endurance. An individual can be physically strong, but mental strength is the key to overcoming any adversity. As James Conant once said, “Behold the turtle. He makes progress only when he sticks his neck out.”




Without taking that risk, enduring our problems or exercising our will to push through these issues, then we would not consider ourselves strong people.
Now that we know the definition, let us consider what strength is not. Strength is not when you run away from your problem. It is not when you let them sit there and fester. Moreover, strength is not when you hand all your problems over to someone else so they can fix them for you. It just does not work that way. You have to be involved in the process somehow, and it is completely different when that individual is there to guide you.




Do not get me wrong, I have made the first two mistakes numerous times in different situations. Where did it get me? Nowhere. By the time my issues were all said and done, I had an even bigger mess to clean. Let us take not paying your bills as an example. Sure, you can use the money to go by other things, but your bills will still be there waiting for you. If choose not to pay them, you will rack up an insane amount of late fees. Eventually, this bill will be sent to a collection agency. Then, these people will become your enemies. They will call you five or six times a day about your bill, if not more. They will harass you, call you dirty names, and do whatever else it takes to get their money.




Maybe, just maybe the bill will go away after seven years. However, it is highly unlikely. Those individuals will take this even further by issuing you a subpoena. Then, you will end up paying for court costs and risk the possibility of your check being garnished. This horrible cycle that affects everyone around you. Granted, I am defending bill collectors because some of them are just unethical, but that is not the point of my blog.




My point is you have to think about resolutions. How are you going to move past the issue that has been created? That will become a testament to your strength. When I hear people tell me I am a strong person, I sometimes brush it off because I never thought of myself like that. Nevertheless, each individual encounters various problems and handles them in a different manner. The problems I encounter might be similar to another individual, but they may choose a different solution. It does not necessarily mean you are not strong person, but it means that each person has his or her own strengths and weaknesses. So if you have a problem that is bugging you, get off your butt and do something about it. I am in the process of resolving mine at this very moment, but I will save that for the next blog.




Until the next time….