strength found the last place you look

When faced with pain, heartache, fear and struggle, there is often a gut level reflex to recoil in an attempt to avoid the stressor in front of us. There’s utilitarian function to the instinct that steers us clear of the real physical dangers that threaten our survival, but when this instinct becomes generalized to the emotional, psychological and social stressors inherent in life, this habit to avoid undermines our true potential.

It’s THROUGH adversity that we gain strength. It’s by facing our fears, stretching ourselves past what we believed we were capable of, surviving and rising above what once seemed unthinkable that we have a deeper confidence and understanding of the enormity of our capacity and power.

This principle is clear to you in other areas such as your physicality. You know you must exert your body, strain and literally tear muscle fibers, tolerate challenge, discomfort and usually pain, in order to build stronger, healthier, more effective muscles.

The same is true for our spirit. We must not shrink in the face of even overwhelming despair or lose hope in the midst of seemingly bleak unknowns. Instead, recognize these moments in our lives, these chapters in our history, as the opportunities for our greatest triumph and evolution.

Seek out mentors. Ask for help from guides. Turn inward more often to your own intuition. Call on the support and camaraderie of your fellow warriors and teammates. Take breaks as you need them. BREATHE. Rest and hydrate often. But KEEP GOING. This is the time. This is the moment. Greater fortitude, resiliency and healing than ever dreamed possible lies just on the other side of what’s in front of us.