Strength

There are all different kinds of strength.

For many, strength might be taking one step before sitting down. Strength might be walking a mile before resting. Strength might be lifting 300 pounds off the ground.

Telling the truth when you know it will hurt. Giving more of yourself when you're exhausted or sick or stretched thin. Creating something that others might tear down. Trying something you'll probably fail at.


What makes a person strong? Why does it matter?

I was inspired to write this post after watching this video. Once an expert diver, Cliff Devries now experiences partial paralysis because of a brain tumor. But he still finds the strength within himself to get the most he can out of life.



I have been struggling to feel motivated lately, and not just with going to the gym. Everything has been in a slump, and I don't know how to solve the problem. I feel like I'm constantly playing catch-up, but I can't motivate myself enough to get my literal and figurative house in order.

I sometimes feel like I've moved backward instead of forwards. I feel like I need more help than I have.

But the cool thing about this video is that this diver taps into deep mental and physical strength to enjoy just a few seconds of happiness. And people all around him help him to make sure he can experience that joy. Someone climbs up the board with him. Swimmers get in the water to guide him back.

I want to thank the people who've been on my team the past few weeks. The friends who jump-started my car (which seems to be eternally dying), the people who cheered me on during those last few seconds of a plank hold (thanks a lot, Jeff), the people who believed in me more than I believed in myself. All your kind words, patience, willingness to work with my weaknesses, and your ability to see through the exterior to comfort the person underneath mean that I can actually succeed at things that are beyond my own strength.

Strength comes from inside, but when it's not enough, strength comes from your team, and when you're weak and can't pick up the slack, even when you're determined to excel, you'll fail without them.

All that support is what brings those few seconds of triumph -- when you are suddenly able to carry the load on your own and experience the joy. All your work suddenly means something, but it means something because of the people who walked the board right alongside you.

To quote Cliff,

“When you see my dive, what else can you do? What can you find in yourself - what can you find in others? When you look in the mirror, what else is there? What else do you have? What more can you bring out? Which is a little bit beyond what you think right now.”