| Do you ever wish that you were stronger? Not strong like a body builder, but mentally tough and resilient.
I have a secret to share with you Friend... you're stronger and more resilient than you realize.
This is a subject I'm well-versed in. Not just because I'm ultimately a mindset coach (because success is mostly about your mindset), but throughout my life.
I grew up in a single-mother household. My mom went through a long phase (my entire childhood) of drinking, partying, and hooking up with the wrong type of men.
I felt abandoned by mother and hated her for it. Yet I pitied her when she was beaten by the men in her life. And then I hated my mom all over again when she went back to them.
Throughout my childhood, I felt like a caged bird being forced to watch the worst of humanity. Trapped. Vulnerable. Weak.
I thought that I was worthless.
There's Another Side to the Story
I became the adult in our household. Every morning, I chose to get up, feed myself and my brother, and do my best in school. Regardless of whether I'd been up most of the night... - worrying about whether my mom would make it home alive;
- hearing a long, drawn-out fight; or
- listening to my mom sobbing.
I simply put one foot in front of the other and kept going.
Although I felt weak, what I didn't realize was that I was getting stronger. Simply because I kept choosing to get back up no matter how hard I'd been knocked down.
Sadly, it took me years to realize how strong I really was.
What's the Secret?
The secret to mental strength and resilience is that you get to choose it. Every. Single. Day.
There are only 2 things that you have to do: - Acknowledge that you have a choice. You can choose to see your experiences as weakening, or you can choose to learn from them and be stronger.
- Make a choice to always get back up and keep going. No matter what.
Warning: this isn't a once and done thing. It's something that must become a habit. Because life happens and things will get messy.
That's when you'll want to hide and run away. And pretend that things aren't all that bad, ignoring the pain and fear that's within you.
Don't do that. That's where growth comes from. It's where you become strong and powerful.
Because the truth is, from weakness comes strength. People tell me all the time how they admire my resilience. You have the same ability. Whether you call it mental toughness, inner strength, or mental resilience, you too can choose to use yours.
Because it's in there (promise).
Before I go, I want to leave you with a quote from Martin Luther King:
"If you can't fly, then run, If you can't run then walk, If you can't walk, then crawl, But whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward." | 
