Before I begin, my Heroes, I’d like to take a moment to recognize and show gratitude for those who were STRONG, SMART, & BRAVE enough to serve in our armed forces, those who gave their lives, and those whose lives have been forever changed by their service to our country, to our community, to the freedoms we so abundantly enjoy today. Words cannot truly express the depth and breadth of our gratitude to you, your families, and your courage. You are HEROES at the core of the definition: THANK YOU.
Okay, my Heroes, moving on…..
I came across the quotation above the other day and it struck me. Many of us are most certainly strong enough to stand alone. Now, now….I see your proverbial head shaking, but you ARE. Maybe not in ALL areas of life, but even if only in SOME, YOU ARE STRONG.
Maybe you said ‘no’ when someone asked you to do something you knew wasn’t right. Maybe you fell, again, and when no one came to your rescue, you stood up and just kept on going, tear-stained and bloodied.
Maybe you failed to achieve a goal and you gave yourself GRACE (and if not, you NEED to). Maybe you find yourself sitting on the bathroom floor, tears flowing, feeling you’ve failed your child whose challenges no one sees but you…
Whatever WAY you stand, on your knees, on your feet, on your hands, or seated, you are STRONG, my Heroes.
It’s the next two parts of this quotation that are the most challenging; especially for us Heroes. It seems the older I get, the more quickly I recognize when I need help and the more stubborn I am to admit it.
Maybe it’s a lower threshold, or maybe it’s simply all of life’s ‘so-far’ lessons rushing in to point it out….
Either way, we ARE smart enough, my Heroes, to know when we need help. We can be SMARTER, though….
We need to open our awareness up enough to recognize the signs MUCH sooner….preferably BEFORE we fall into the Pit of Pain, the Rut of Routine, the Hole of Half-Lived Goals & Dreams, the Diaspora of Dispair….
Yes, my Heroes, our stubborn selves tend to wait until we’ve fallen into the bottom of the cold, slimy, Well of Wishes before we realize we really DO need help. I see you nodding your heads…..Go on, admitting to it is a start.
Yet, my Heroes, knowing WHEN we need help is STILL much easier than having the courage to ASK for the help, isn’t it?
Yes, we are STRONG, my Heroes. Yes, we are SMART, but asking for help? Even the thought makes us shudder, right? We can’t ask for help. No. That shows weakness. A lack of the independence we’ve fought SO HARD to create. When we were children, we somehow got the message in school that if you asked for help, you weren’t as smart as….
Well, as an educator for over 25 years, now, I can tell you that’s total and complete BUNK for it’s the ones who ask who are the smartest, the bravest, and the ones most likely to succeed…even if some of us have to ask A LOT of questions before we get there….
You see, my Heroes, asking for help means we actually have to first admit to ourselves that we are unable to fix the problem on our own….It means we have to allow ourselves the GRACE needed to be JUST vulnerable enough to ask for the help we need. This is much harder. MUCH.
Yep, I said it, my Heroes…the dreaded ‘V’ word: Vulnerable…..Vulnerable. Does. Not. Mean. Weak. Allowing yourself just enough outward vulnerability to get the answers you need actually means…
YOU. ARE. BRAVE. You’re a HERO evermore and the fact is, my Heroes, it means you’re HUMAN. Yes, you are. It means you’re not perfect (THANKFULLY). You recognize that and you also know that the journey you’re on might need a tour guide other than yourself for a bit….just to help you get back on the right path.
So go on, my Heroes. Try it. Open up your heart, mind, spirit, and soul to HEAR and FEEL your needs; to recognize the need for help and to ask. Show the world this NEW kind of strength and courage. Show your children (if you have them) that asking for help is a sign of leadership, intelligence, and bravery. Yes, it can be difficult and uncomfortable, at first, and finding the RIGHT people to ask, well, that’s a whole different blog post yet to be written, but start somewhere, my Heroes.
You will feel liberated when you do. You will begin to feel EVEN stronger, EVEN smarter, and EVEN braver than you ALREADY are, my Heroes.
So this week, listen to yourself. Be the STRONG, SMART, BRAVE Hero that you are. And know, my Heroes, that if you NEED help, we are here for you…all you need to do is ASK.
In the comments below, share with us which of these : standing alone, knowing WHEN you need help, or asking for help, you think is the most challenging for YOU and why....
Growing ever stronger, smarter, braver,
Lora Ackermann
Strong-Smart-Brave Hero Trainer
Okay, my Heroes, moving on…..
I came across the quotation above the other day and it struck me. Many of us are most certainly strong enough to stand alone. Now, now….I see your proverbial head shaking, but you ARE. Maybe not in ALL areas of life, but even if only in SOME, YOU ARE STRONG.
Maybe you said ‘no’ when someone asked you to do something you knew wasn’t right. Maybe you fell, again, and when no one came to your rescue, you stood up and just kept on going, tear-stained and bloodied.
Maybe you failed to achieve a goal and you gave yourself GRACE (and if not, you NEED to). Maybe you find yourself sitting on the bathroom floor, tears flowing, feeling you’ve failed your child whose challenges no one sees but you…
Whatever WAY you stand, on your knees, on your feet, on your hands, or seated, you are STRONG, my Heroes.
It’s the next two parts of this quotation that are the most challenging; especially for us Heroes. It seems the older I get, the more quickly I recognize when I need help and the more stubborn I am to admit it.
Maybe it’s a lower threshold, or maybe it’s simply all of life’s ‘so-far’ lessons rushing in to point it out….
Either way, we ARE smart enough, my Heroes, to know when we need help. We can be SMARTER, though….
We need to open our awareness up enough to recognize the signs MUCH sooner….preferably BEFORE we fall into the Pit of Pain, the Rut of Routine, the Hole of Half-Lived Goals & Dreams, the Diaspora of Dispair….
Yes, my Heroes, our stubborn selves tend to wait until we’ve fallen into the bottom of the cold, slimy, Well of Wishes before we realize we really DO need help. I see you nodding your heads…..Go on, admitting to it is a start.
Yet, my Heroes, knowing WHEN we need help is STILL much easier than having the courage to ASK for the help, isn’t it?
Yes, we are STRONG, my Heroes. Yes, we are SMART, but asking for help? Even the thought makes us shudder, right? We can’t ask for help. No. That shows weakness. A lack of the independence we’ve fought SO HARD to create. When we were children, we somehow got the message in school that if you asked for help, you weren’t as smart as….
Well, as an educator for over 25 years, now, I can tell you that’s total and complete BUNK for it’s the ones who ask who are the smartest, the bravest, and the ones most likely to succeed…even if some of us have to ask A LOT of questions before we get there….
You see, my Heroes, asking for help means we actually have to first admit to ourselves that we are unable to fix the problem on our own….It means we have to allow ourselves the GRACE needed to be JUST vulnerable enough to ask for the help we need. This is much harder. MUCH.
Yep, I said it, my Heroes…the dreaded ‘V’ word: Vulnerable…..Vulnerable. Does. Not. Mean. Weak. Allowing yourself just enough outward vulnerability to get the answers you need actually means…
YOU. ARE. BRAVE. You’re a HERO evermore and the fact is, my Heroes, it means you’re HUMAN. Yes, you are. It means you’re not perfect (THANKFULLY). You recognize that and you also know that the journey you’re on might need a tour guide other than yourself for a bit….just to help you get back on the right path.
So go on, my Heroes. Try it. Open up your heart, mind, spirit, and soul to HEAR and FEEL your needs; to recognize the need for help and to ask. Show the world this NEW kind of strength and courage. Show your children (if you have them) that asking for help is a sign of leadership, intelligence, and bravery. Yes, it can be difficult and uncomfortable, at first, and finding the RIGHT people to ask, well, that’s a whole different blog post yet to be written, but start somewhere, my Heroes.
You will feel liberated when you do. You will begin to feel EVEN stronger, EVEN smarter, and EVEN braver than you ALREADY are, my Heroes.
So this week, listen to yourself. Be the STRONG, SMART, BRAVE Hero that you are. And know, my Heroes, that if you NEED help, we are here for you…all you need to do is ASK.
In the comments below, share with us which of these : standing alone, knowing WHEN you need help, or asking for help, you think is the most challenging for YOU and why....
Growing ever stronger, smarter, braver,
Lora Ackermann
Strong-Smart-Brave Hero Trainer