Strength

What is the first thing you think of when you hear the word strength? Probably a big, muscular man lifting something heavy, or maybe someone who survived cancer? Sure, those are forms of strength, but what about the other forms? The ones we don't see, and maybe aren't so big? A young girl who struggles with depression who chooses to tell her parents instead of taking her own life. A son, who wants to help his struggling family but gets a job instead of stealing. An amputee who, instead of being ashamed of their ailment, goes through therapy to adjust. There is something so important that is involved with all of these examples of strength, and that is help. Sometimes people believe that if you ask for help, that is a sign of weakness. But recognizing when you need help and not seeking it is the real sign of weakness. You can't do everything on your own your whole life. If this were true, humans wouldn't have established ideas like teams, relationships, and even community. We are all individuals living and working together. When things get rough, we are supposed to ask for help and that’s okay! Strength comes in all shapes and sizes. Everything from the superheros we grew up loving, to the bank teller at the local Wells Fargo. To recognize one’s faults and request assistance is not a shame, but to recognize and continue on as ignorant of said faults is just the beginning of a destructive path birthed from prideful damage that will only result in the deterioration of one’s self.

Everyone will go through at least one difficult time in their life, some may experience a lot of hardship, others may be lucky to experience very little. To compare and judge what people have been through is irrelevant. Some people can only handle so much, therefore what they go through may be just as difficult as someone who can carry a lot of weight on their shoulders goes through. Everyone has a limit, everyone has a breaking point, and some people reach that limit with varying degrees while other never will. To brag about either end shows weakness, but to recognize quietly and carry on as best as you can shows honor and humility. Strength is very internal, though many people think of strength as being shown off and easily spotted. Just looking at someone, sure they may be physically strong, but do they possess true strength? Strength from within? Strength that may go undetected for that person’s entire life, but is the most rewarding and pure.

In the relatively short amount if time that I have lived, I have dealt with hardship just like anyone else. Comparatively, what I have gone through may be a lot worse or a lot better than others, but that is not what is important. Learn how you work, learn how you feel and how to best go about handing hardship. Find where your strength lies and conjure it. For some it is very easy. Strength comes very naturally to some people. Others struggle to find it and need help which, as I have mentioned before, should never be seen as a weakness. Strength comes in may forms and degrees, through some people may struggle to find it for a lifetime while others find it very early in like due to events or how one was raised.

It is so important to recognize that strength can’t always be easily recognized. Keeping this in mind might help you better to see the world. Next time someone cuts you off in traffic or doesn’t hold the door for you at the bank, take a minute. Just for a second, try not to judge. This is hard for anyone to do because it is a natural human instinct to gather as much info we can about someone based off of first impressions. But try not to, and you will surprise yourself. This doesn’t necessarily mean dignify their actions, but just think. Perhaps that person just got some bad news, or is not having the best day, or maybe they are struggling to find their strength. Everyone has a story, so let them tell it.