Stronger
Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. Weak men create bad times, and bad times create strong men. — Anonymous
Believe it or not, as I write this article, there are parts of Nigeria that have not seen electricity in one week — some more. In the area I live in, the power official (who I called) said that our transformer has a faulty component and contributions are being made to buy the component before we can begin to talk about fixing the matter. I blew my generator engine about two months back and seeing as it costs some amount (that I am not willing to spare right now) to fix it, I don’t have electricity — in 2021. Let’s all clap for my country.
So as I was hauling two 20-liter containers of water up my stairs, I realized that I wouldn’t have given myself such strain had everything been working right. But in that work, I realized that my shoulder and back muscles were getting toned. What I would have been doing at the gym, life gave to me using what I would have called a hard time. While I could have been complaining about the fact that I have no electricity or running water, I saw that in all that extra work, I was getting stronger and that’s what makes the above quote so relevant.
Strength is good and will always be. When we conduct a SWOT analysis, the first thing we talk about is strength. Your strength is what you can use to be more than you are right now and your strength is what you give in order to rise higher in any field of endeavor. So you see it is important to build strength…any kind of strength. The more I carry the buckets of water up the flight of stairs, the lighter they will become and so it is with everything else.
Emotional Strength
What is that thing that keeps a person calm when it seems like all hell is breaking loose? It’s strength. How is it that a parent can hold himself from exerting physical force on a defenseless child who just mutilated his car with a drawing? Strength. How can a person refuse to hurt those who have hurt him? Strength. And where does that strength come from?
Physical Strength
Our lives these days do not require us to use much physical strength to accomplish tasks. That being said, we can see that those people who are fit have generally better lives. Their bodies are healthier and as such, they have more energy to navigate their day. They are more alert and their reflexes are sharper. Heck, they even get hired and promoted over others(there are studies all over the internet to validate this). So where does physical strength come from? This answer is a bit more obvious.
Intellectual Strength
The ability to hold and maintain focus is intellectual strength. The ability to remember details and assimilate lessons taught is intellectual strength. Surely we can see that a person of higher intellectual strength has an edge in some areas of life…
So where does strength come from?
Simple answer? Exercise. Any part of our being which we intend to make stronger must first be exercised. Exercise involves giving what we have in order to get more of it. Look at it whichever way you will.
When we exercise, we get to the limits of that we already have. Physical exercise means running or lifting weights until we are tired, then in that rest time, we build more of what we have expended.
Emotional exercise means that we fight the urge to act on impulse while we gather ourselves… it is hard but in that time when we are 'resting' and not acting on impulse, we gather strength and maturity. Come to think of it, what exercise is easy?
Learning in order to acquire intellectual strength means that you have to question what you think you already know, and unlearn those lessons which have not been benefiting. It requires, like a clay pot, being broken down and put back together in order to become better and stronger. Is it easy? No! Is it necessary? HELL YES!!
Becoming stronger requires work. And willpower is the currency we will use to be consistent in that work.
I wish you become stronger… it pays in the end.
