Stay strong in body and mind
Have you ever been accused of being stubborn? Are you stubborn? Being single minded about an objective or
goal is actually a very good thing. It
keeps you focused. I call it
fortitude. Applying your personal
strength and conviction to a single goal helps achievement, but what about
applying fortitude to life in general.
What good is that and what purpose does that serve? Well, having the
strength of mind to withstand the pains and adversity of life is a pretty
valuable asset don’t you think? I’ve
talked about perseverance and how it aids you on your life’s mission and keeps you going toward your
goals. But perseverance isn’t
enough. That’s right, you need
fortitude. Being able to keep going is
one thing, being able to maintain your mindset and inner strength as well is
totally different. There will be a time
when challenges in your life beat you down so much you might think you’ve
lost. But if you have a solid foundation
of who you are, what your values are, and why you have them, well that’s
fortitude, and you can take comfort from that; draw strength from that and
carry on.
Why bother?
The only person that will always be with you throughout your life is
you. You better like that person’s
company if you’re going to find any value in your life. I know a person who has compromised
everything they ever held dear because they thought it would be easier to
attain what they wanted. That person was
wrong. I know another person that never
bothered to set any life goals, look toward the future or bother to develop a
strong sense of self worth or conviction.
That person’s life is very unhappy.
I’ve had my values tested, my convictions called into question, but
I’ve always focused on who I was, what I wanted and what I valued. When I weighed the options and saw what
compromising my ideals would bring, I chose the right path. Fortitude isn’t just about being strong. It’s about believing in yourself when things
go wrong, look terrible and you doubt everything. When I got divorced, everything seemed go to
wrong, then get really bad, and then get horrible. I was hungry, homeless, penniless and
thousands of miles away from family. Let
me tell you, sleeping out on the street for a few days really tests your
fortitude. I made mistakes, chose
poorly, and didn’t listen to common sense.
I paid the price. But because I
took the time to re-examine my path, but stay strong to my convictions, I
steered back toward my goal, and continued on my mission.
Getting through the bad times can be done. I know it from experience. Don’t give up. Stay strong.
You never know when things will turn around.
Thanks for reading, post a question or comment. I’d love to hear from you.
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