What It Means To Be Strong

Dictionary.com has 28 different definitions to support that strength comes in many forms. For the longest time, I thought that being strong meant persevering, standing tall, doing the right thing no matter who's watching. Now, I believe there is more to it than that. Being strong is hard. It's persevering and living, standing tall and kneeling, doing the right thing no matter who's watching and no matter what other people think. No one knows your life, the decisions you are faced with making, the lengths you go to live to fight another day. Life is short; it is precious. We only get one shot at living, and I don't know about you, but I'm living it!

I am so grateful for the people in my life, having a great job that I love, and all the adventures I get to go on! I am strong. I am stronger than I thought. I am stronger than I ever thought possible in fact. Faced with situations, I never thought I would be in charge of, making decisions I don't know that I was even qualified to make.

There was a period when I was unsteady when I didn't trust myself, and I didn't trust others with what I considered flaws. The biggest lesson I think I've learned in the last few years is learning to be vulnerable, and that is no small feat. The only way I've found to be vulnerable requires having people in your life who truly love you unconditionally. People who are not competing with you, using you, benefiting from your misfortune, throwing you under the bus, criticizing your every move so that they don't have to assess themselves. The people who do those things are toxic, and they have no place in my life, not anymore that is.

​At the end of the day when I have to look myself in the mirror, I know that I did everything that I could do to the best of my ability with the information I had at the time and that is good enough for me. Being strong means going to bed knowing all of those things, not questioning yourself. I haven't slept this well in a long time, and man is it amazing to get a good nights rest! I'm strong like Hulk! ​