noun. the quality or state of being physically strong; the capacity of an object or substance to withstand great force or pressure.
I wasn’t feeling the theme I had pre-planned for today so I looked at the list of the themes left for the last 11 days and moved one forwards that resonated: Strength.
Settling down with my cup of coffee to settle into my morning ritual of reflecting, finding an image, finding some quotes and writing my blog I looked at the mug I was using this morning. I had received an unexpected present in the post yesterday from the LeanInOrg team with a card from Sheryl Sandberg and Rachel Thomas that reads:
Clearly my sub-conscience had chosen this word to write about today!
How strong am I?
I am mentally strong. I am emotionally strong. I am physically strong. I am powerful.
How well do I withstand great force or pressure?
I am resilient. I am driven my values. I have a strong conviction about what is right.
What are my strengths?
I am courageous. I am committed. I am collaborative.
Strength can be broken down into difference facets of your physical state and your emotional being.
Our physical strength is our exertion of force on physical objects. We can increase our physical strength through strength training.
Our emotional strength is our ability to respond in an open and vulnerable way in the face of intense emotional experience. We can increase our emotional strength by feeling our way deeper into the emotion.
Our mental strength is our capacity to deal effectively with stressors, pressures and challenges. We can increase our mental strength and perform to the best of our ability, through resilience training.
Our character strengths are our capacity for thinking, feeling, willing, and behaving. We can develop our character strengths by reflecting on which traits that we know have and that are viewed in us as part of our positive identity. If you have not taken a VIA Classification test before I recommend it!
Our inner strength is our integrity of character and our resoluteness of will. We can increase our inner strength by doing the inner work and nurturing our positive inner voice, thereby negating our mental resistance to doubt.
Our outer strength is the resources that we have created externally. We can nurture our outer strength by developing our support systems, such as our familial, social and spiritual connections.
We have different ways of being strong and our strengths show up in different ways including our strength of mind, character and body. Our strengths include our talents, our skills, our interests and our values.
To be strong we need to develop our resilience.
“Life doesn’t get easier or more forgiving, we get stronger and more resilient”.Steve Maraboli
To be strong we need to struggle and to overcome obstacles.
“Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths”.Arnold Schwarzenegger
To be strong we need to have conviction in our decision-making.
“You never how strong you are, until being strong is the only choice you have”.Bob Marley
To be strong we need to be self-disciplined.
“Mastering others is strength, mastering yourself is true power”.Lao Tzu
To be strong we need to be tenacious.
“With the new day, comes new thoughts and new strength”.Eleanor Roosevelt
To be strong we need to be driven by hope, not by fear.
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