True Strength Is Courage

Those who believe that strength is measured by all the things you carry on your back and in your heart are wrong. True courage does not mean keeping quiet, giving up or accepting insult and harm. A strong person confronts these things, defeats them, and then leaves them behind.

In today’s society we are taught that suffering equals bravery. We also sometimes believe that saying “no” is a sign of cowardice or weakness. These kinds of ideas can cause a lot of personal vulnerability when it comes to personal situations: with the result that you are only a shadow of yourself.

Everything has a price

It’s nice to feel flattered because you’re doing things for others or because you’re so “good.” It is also nice to hear that you are so strong because you suffer so much for so little. But remember that everything has a price and this time it’s your health and your confidence.

Your true strength is your courage

A woman who cares about her children with the hope that one day they can fend for themselves is really strong. She will find the happiness she deserves after going through this difficult time.

A woman who says “enough” to the man who abuses or scolds her is strong. Also strong is the person who is able to set his or her limits. The person who has the courage to cut ties because he realizes he deserves better.

Know your priorities

Strength includes understanding your own priorities. And then recognize that there may be some effort and sacrifices that are worth it.  You care about the people around you and you understand that sometimes you have to ignore what you’re feeling in order to remember what you deserve.

If you were taught to be weak

This choice of words will surprise you. Who teaches someone to be weak? And further, why would anyone like you if you were just very obedient and did everything you were told?

• There are many styles of parenting and upbringing in which the concept of obedience is implicit.
• You must ensure that you raise your children through respect, not obedience, because this last dimension is achieved through fear – while respect, on the other hand, is achieved through mutual understanding and emotional intelligence.

• The kind of education that teaches you to be obedient and weak is primarily designed to force you to do one of the following: obey your relatives or those in authority. This is something that is very common in patriarchal societies.

What does that do to you?

It makes you believe that you are more worthy of being loved when you are “obedient”. All these currents lead you to believe that you are strong by doing as you are told, by obeying every command, by saying “yes” when your heart says “no”.

In romantic relationships, it is also common for a person to indulge in emotional blackmail to the point of turning them into a vulnerable person, aiming to fulfill every need of their loved one. This is not “being strong”.

Strength implies first of all learning to give up something

Believe it or not, no one will teach you how to apply the fortress mentality.

Our society, family and even the world of fashion or marketing would rather see you caring and weak, impressionable enough to buy their products, to say ‘yes’ to everything and thus achieve true happiness. None of this, however, will give you a true, significant, and lasting sense of happiness. It is possible that doing a favor for a friend will make you feel satisfied, but if you do it every day you will eventually realize that something doesn’t feel right.

Set your priorities

Set your priorities and invest your time and energy in what is worthwhile, for your fortress is courage. Don’t hesitate to put these simple strategies into practice to learn how to be stronger.

• Before taking action, evaluate the consequences it may have.
• Before you say yes, think about how you will feel if your heart wants to say no.
• People who spend their days in bitterness or in secret crying spells are not brave. Those who are brave look at life with hope, knowing that decisions have to be made to be happy.
• Invest your time and effort in those who really deserve it. Only then will you be satisfied with yourself and see yourself as a really strong person, someone who fights every day for himself, for his roots, for his dignity and for true love.

No one can tell you how to live your life or how to be happy. The art of personal happiness is that the decision is yours and this is reflected in your courage.