Strength July 2021
We all need qualities of grit, drive, and stamina along with the mental stability of calm and focus to be at optimal performance. Being physically strong helps you feel better and is linked to emotional strength. Increasing physical strength results in increased emotional strength through improved self-confidence and self-esteem. Being emotionally strong will positively influence your ability to deal with everyday challenges.
Someone who is emotionally strong is comfortable within. They are flexible, able to look on the bright side of things, and can tap into their resilience during difficult periods so they don’t get stuck. It takes time, experiences, and practice to build up resilience. Self-awareness, positive thinking, and connections to others and a greater cause all help increase resilience.
Themes from chapters of Positive Living A Though Z that are addressed this month in Facebook posts include Chapters R: Risks: Take Calculated Risks to be on the Road to Success, and S: Smile: Smile to Improve Your Health. You can begin practicing risk-taking now. Find an opportunity to express your thoughts at a weekly meeting or family gathering; stand up for a principle or give constructive feedback to another. These are small and everyday examples of taking risks that will assist you in building capacity to move beyond adversity and not get trapped in negative patterns.
And what better way to show your confidence than through a smile. Smile at others while waiting in an office or passing in the aisles of a grocery store. If wearing a mask, then “smile with your eyes.” These practices help you look inward and in doing so, you’ll begin to get emotionally stronger.
Kent Nerburn states: “A person who can quietly stay at home and care for an ailing parent is as strong as a person wo can climb a mountain. A person who can stand up for a principle is as strong as a person who can fend off an army. They simply have quieter, less dramatic, kinds of strength.”
What kinds of strength do you possess? Take time this month to become aware of your own physical and emotional strengths and decide how you can work to improve these important qualities.
Remember, Positive Living is not a one-time strategy or exercise to try occasionally. If you address the monthly themes and weekday posts on Facebook that speak to you, through daily practice, they will become automatic and a part of your repertoire of positive behavioral choices. You’ll begin to reprogram your thoughts and allow selfless actions to improve you as a person; thus, improving the world.
Build on your strengths. Believe in yourself. Trust the process.
Be well and finish strong,
Lora
