3 Ways You're Stronger Than You Think

... there is something you must always remember. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. - A.A. Milne, Winnie The Pooh 

The other night as I was laying my head down on the pillow to fall asleep, my mind began churning with thoughts of the events of the past week of my life. Without going into more detail than I care to share at this juncture, as the ugly events raced through my brain, I couldn't help but pause to think, "Wow, I can't believe I got through that. I can't believe I feel this calm. I can't believe I am still here, living, loving, and functioning after all of this." And then I gave myself a little pat on the back, allowing myself to feel a slight swell of pride, gratitude, and mild surprise toward the inner strength I did not realize I possessed until that very moment.

Growing up, I was always a "What if?" kind of person. Always trying to plan, analyze, and figure out how I could possibly deal if the worst came up. My grandma and stepdad had a saying that I still love to repeat to myself to this day. It goes, The worst never happens, and if it does, you deal with it.

How simple, really. We spend so much time worrying, and wondering, and stressing over theoretical events that we have no control over, never stopping to just accept that if they do, in fact, happen, we will learn that we are strong enough to pick up the pieces, have a good cry, and continue on.

I believe that it is the anticipation of the unknown that is, in fact, the hardest part to contend with. But if we just carried within ourselves the knowledge and confidence that we can handle It, whatever It is, we could release our fears and just live.

So in honor of the strength I've found within my Self, the courage and confidence I've discovered in my own soul, the self-possessed love and respect I've realized in my own heart, I would like to impart you with 3 reasons that you are stronger than you think.

1. You can handle it. No really, you can. Because you already HAVE. Before you start thinking about a bunch of theoretical scenarios that might happen one day that you DEFINITELY could not handle (which is false, btw), think back to 3 situations that occurred in the past year or two that were HARD, SAD, TERRIBLE, HURTFUL, STRESSFUL, and/or MISERABLE. Got it? Thought of it? Now say hello to yourself, because you are STILL HERE. You are still standing. You are still living your life, doing what you need to do and want to do to function, to improve, to be happy. You may not have handled each and every situation that occurred like a perfect, zen yogi, but that doesn't mean you didn't handle it, get through it, and come out of it stronger, smarter, and wiser. You did. So give yourself a little credit, because you HANDLED the damn thing. Get it.

2. You refuse to accept what isn't serving you. What I mean by this is the following: those moments that you thought about before, the hard, tough, crazy challenging, stressful, and sad moments you've been through only came about because you refused to settle. If you had settled, you wouldn't have encountered such terrible moments. You would have just accepted things as they were and avoided the immense pain and struggle that comes with taking a stand for what you believe in and what you deserve. Make sense? The turmoil, anxiety, and pain you felt (and dealt with, so kudos to you!) only came about because you knew something was wrong, that you couldn't live with it any longer, and decided to DO SOMETHING about it. You won't settle for less than you believe to be right, and for that reason, you are a strong, mighty example of a human. Roar.

3. You're optimistic.  You haven't let your negative past experience harden you, or make you cynical against the world. You still have hope for the future and believe that life can be what you want it to. You continue to put yourself out there regardless of past experience that could have taught you to retreat into yourself. You haven't become a hermit or abandoned relationships or stopped trying just because you've been burned before. You press on, because you know that there is good to have, receive, and give to the world! Being optimistic in the face of challenge, failure, and pain is a gift to the world, and you continue to give it day in and day out! Keep on keepin' on, friend!

You're strong, my friend. You're fierce. You're mighty. You have been, you are, and you will continue to be. Why? 'Cause you can!