10 Thoughts On Being Strong

Physically, emotionally, and mentally

1. No one ever feels strong enough. No one.

2. All of us hurt, even those who seem strong. You may not think the blows land (because you don’t see the marks) but they do. Strong people just swallow the pain until it burns through the deceptively delicate tissues of the heart.

3. Strength isn’t found or discovered like a lost hiker or a new island. Strength is earned. And that often means difficult work, pain, and recovery. All parts of the equation have significance.

4. Sometimes the best thing you can do for anyone (including the strong) is to listen. So few people truly listen.

5. Strong is just one human quality — and it shouldn’t be the only one … or prized above everything else. You need more qualities than strength to live a fully realized life. You need qualities like compassion and generosity — or, in the physical realm, mobility and endurance. Don’t be one instrument. Be a symphony.