Stronger Than You Think

I asked my husband one day about topics to write about on this blog.

He said, "As a rule, if you don't have anything to say then don't say anything." Profound.

I think I could be more like that in writing AND in speech.

For a couple of weeks, I have had my head into various training's and study, and at times felt like I was drowning in information,  so I didn't have much to say.  Just busy trying to breathe and assimilate and enjoy (not) the roller-coaster of emotion and self-talk of "Yes you can!" to "Are you out of your mind!?"

Now what I want to say is that we are all stronger than we think.

We all have the negative thoughts from time to time or the feeling of "I am just too damn tired to fight this one today".

Well, that's just the thing, it's a FEELING not necessarily the truth. And we all know that just because you "feel" something doesn't make it the truth. That is, unless you buy into it. Even still, is it really the truth? I believe we are so much stronger than our feelings try to dictate from day to day or circumstance to circumstance.

Which brings up another point:

Does circumstance define who you are or how strong you are?

Do we give that "circumstance" power sometimes?

I had the opportunity (yes, a positive spin on words) to face the "circumstance" thing head on. What did I learn? I'll tell you. My arms have a limited range of motion due to RA. I was in a particular training (cycling) that required my arms to be straighter for core stability so I could hold my body upright. Internally, I was pissed off at the trainer because this was a significant challenge for me the entire time. I was to ride in the "correct position" and no alternative was suggested for me even when I asked.

I am a trainer and I know how to make modifications pretty well. But this one was tough because I don't have experience as a cyclist. Then I grabbed a hold of my mind, got quiet, and realized that this trainer didn't owe me a thing. I could actually use this experience to push through, prevail, learn, adapt and possibly share with someone else facing a similar situation.  You know what? I did it. The entire training. It was hard. The entire time my body screamed at me, "are you freakin" kidding?!" I won. I changed the game in my mind. I did not let the circumstance nor the negative self-talk dictate a damn thing.

Feelings can be wonderful. They are a part of being human. But they don't have to run the show. And they are subject to what we will tolerate or allow in our thinking.  How have you overcome an emotional barrier to win?