Do you honor your own strength?
Sometimes, we don’t realize how far we’ve come. Sometimes, we walk through life doing the work without even realizing it.
Other times, we set out to handle our challenges, whether it’s through self-help or professional help. We want to surmount them.
I ran into someone the other day who has been dealt a challenging health card. My heart went out to her, as I imagined myself in that situation and how I’d feel. Imagining is not the same has having. Having friends facing related battles is not the same has having.
But not having doesn’t have to stop us from feeling compassion and empathy.
I was saddened to see that her situation has made her bitter, resentful and angry.
Understandable: who in a situation like that hasn’t asked themselves “why me?”
Even so, living in that “why me” is not a good place to be. It’s dark and can make things worse.
But it takes a lot of effort to pull out of it. To accept that life’s unfairness has targeted you and still go on to live a happy life.
I know people who have done just that. They’ve done the work to build the strength pull out of the hole and go on. They may be limping, and the pace may be slow with detours along the route, but they’re moving forward.
Today I’m honoring those souls who have learned to harness their strength and rise to the challenge. I admire them tremendously. I know how much work it took. I have some idea of how difficult it has been.
I wish we could bottle that perseverance and courage you have so that others can have it, too.
To those who are facing those challenges right now, this thought: no matter how slow it seems, forward is still progress.
There are people in the world praying for you, sending you positive vibes and supporting your fight.
I’m one. But not the only one.
Rest a moment and honor your own courage and strength. Just like we do. We honor you all.
And another reminder about our gentle and affordable gift packages to help (and honor) those going through a tough time.
Before, I don’t actually have this for myself but as I grow older, Now I learn to appreciate more of what I am, my strengths and even weaknesses.
We live in such an amazing time with so many amazing opportunities. I make it a habit to focus on the good things happening in my life and around me. I also limit negative thoughts and situations.
Everything that happens to us is for a purpose. Having to push through the rough stuff to get to the golden egg so to speak is all about a learning curve in our lives.
I’m a breast cancer survivor! I honor my struggles, successes and my feelings about the whole ordeal. I can be overwhelmed by what I went through at times, I just recognize it, respect it and push through it.
One of my students, Lincoln, is a 16-year-old quadriplegic. And every morning, when he comes to class, he is the most cheerful, upbeat person in the room. He was talking about the film ‘Me Before You’, which I haven’t seen and he was disgusted because the boy commits suicide at the end. In Lincoln’s words: “What’s with that?!” I’ve learned so much from him!
When I start to feel a little down in my own life, I’m comforted by the fact that my record for getting through tough days is 100%!
Respect.
This is a great reminder that we need to be true to ourselves and give ourselves credit for our own strength. We can sometimes forget and let fear / anxiety get in the way.
Sometime we need to be reminded that we are a lot stronger than what we thought our self to be. It’s how we react or handle what life gives us.
As someone that suffers from panic disorder, I can tell you that I rely on my strength to get me through the day.
This is such an encouraging post. I know I have strength I forget I have because of several traumas experienced in my life. Thank you for the reminder!
Most of the times we neglect to recognize our own strength. You are so right, we have to honor our own strength.
This is such an important thing to do. Everyone has the power within themselves to be stronger.
Thank you. I am usually the one to look at the bright side of things and that is what I blog about, but the past month or so the darkness and struggles have been knocking me down more often. I am tired. I appreciate you post.
It’s hard to be strong but somehow people seem to find ways to support each other and get through it with their faith and friendships.
The daily fight to get up and get it all done and keep trying is so important. It does help to have a husband and family for support.
I do try to honor my own strength. I remind myself that I’m stronger than I lead myself to believe at times.
I felt like that when my Mother was going through Alzheimer’s. I couldn’t understand why it happened to her and it was heart wrenching to watch her go downhill.
There are times when I just have to feel the pain or the despair, get it out. It’s during those times I most need to be reminded not to stay there.
After the death of my daughter I had to push through to even get out of bed which I thank the Lord I did. Or I wouldn’t have my son or my Blog. So, if your struggling don’t give up take a deep breath and move forward with baby steps. Keep telling yourself that you think you can you think you can and you will.
A parent’s grief is a rough road. You are an inspiration to others going through hard times.
I know a woman who lost a chid about ten years ago. Although I she has her dark moments, she’s also one of the most cheerful, kind people I know. Its strange how tragedy and hardship bring out different things in different people.
Our response to life events is part of our learning. In fact, it IS our lesson.
I think everybody reacts differently to hardships in your life. She might still be in the pointed her like her she’s angry about what happened to her. Eventually she may get to the point where she will except it and start can you pass the anger and the bitterness and come back to being a happy person. I try hard to not be upset about things but sometimes it just happens. I am glad they let you hang out with her and I hope that maybe you could help her get through this.
I can only imagine how easy it is to feel defeated when battling health issues or going through hard times. It takes effort but having a positive mindset helps so much.