Day 5: Choosing to be Strong

This was harder than I thought. I love quotes. I have since I was a kid, so I thought I would have no trouble choosing one.

Well, I did.

In the end I went with this one from Bob Marley. Normally I would steer clear of the topic of being strong because some folks are too quick to lump me into ‘a strong black woman who don’t need nothing from anyone’ (insert side eye), but when I read the quote it posed a question:

Does anyone really know when they will have to be that strong?

Stronger than they’ve ever been – to the point of colliding with their normal judgement?

How does anyone know the answer to that? I like to think it starts with a choice. I mean, doesn’t everything start with a choice? One of the most basic rights as a human is the right to choose your free will – to make your own decisions, so it would be safe to say that the moment we choose to be strong is when we are at are strongest.

The mind is the most strongest and capable part in all of us, and once we acknowledge that – tap into that truth – nothing remains the same. We see the world differently, limits go out the window, and we are able to work through anything that we set our minds to.

It is a remarkably beautiful thing. The majority of the time we are not even aware of when we are doing. Nowadays folks think that in order to be seen as strong they need to go out and do these ‘huge’ gestures, like climbing a mountain.

And that is not true. For me, it was finding the courage to finally take the stage at an open mic night. Even though I sucked (no I’m not being hard on myself – I was there and can clearly remember it being a hot mess..lol) I am glad I did it. So from choosing to take part in that did make me strong. I am not afraid of signing up for another open mic. I am not as nervous about letting folks hear me sing.

As long as we remember that it is up to us to choose when to be strong – the how will eventually find us too.