“It is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees.” – Emiliano Zapata
What’s eating away at your soul every day? Write those things down, seek help and confront them as part of developing your mental toughness. Seeking help is not a sign of weakness but of strength and desire to stay strong and even get stronger.
Being in a place where there’s no challenge is not good for you as a human being. As human beings, we’re built for challenge and without it, we get weaker and weaker by the day. We are built to take on a maximal load, and that’s what strengthens you because life is extraordinarily difficult. You have to be awake, strong and sharp to stay on your feet and fight for what you want instead of being on your knees. Yes, I’d rather die standing up to the odds and live a full life in spite of its challenges than live on my knees as a slave or servant.
“Why that one? The wind has been beating that tree down since the day it was born. But it refuses to fall. It’s the struggle that gives it its beauty,” says Rose Mary Walls’ character when replying to her daughter about why she chose to paint a certain tree standing tall in the desert in The Glass Castle.
Embracing challenges in your life, instead of playing a victim by throwing your hands in the air, ensures that you grow through them instead of being crushed by them. Remember, life is like a grinding stone, it can either polish you to a shine or grind you down into a powder depending on how you position yourself towards it.
You have another opportunity to position yourself wisely, use it!
