Strength Doesn't Always Look Strong

For a long time, I think many of us have associated strength with the ability to keep going.

To handle the pressure. Meet the expectations. Show up for everyone. Figure things out, even when we're exhausted.

And sometimes strength does look like perseverance.

But I've learned that it can look like other things too.

It can look like acknowledging that something affected you more than you wanted to admit.

It can look like setting a boundary you once struggled to establish.

It can look like deciding that you don't have to explain every choice or prove your worth to everyone around you.

And sometimes, strength looks like giving yourself permission to rest.

I've come to understand that resilience isn't pretending that difficult experiences didn't change us.

Some experiences do change us.

They change how we trust, how we make decisions, how we protect our time, and how we recognize what deserves our energy.

The important thing is what we learn about ourselves through those changes.

We don't always have to be the strongest person in the room.

We don't always have to have the answer.

And we don't have to carry every responsibility simply because we've shown that we're capable of doing so.

There is strength in knowing when to keep going.

There is also strength in knowing when something needs to change.

For new reflections and conversations, join the email list.