The Unknown Truth- You are Stronger than you Think

When tragedy comes knocking at your door one of the most common things you will hear is, "I don't know how you do it, I could never get through what you have been through".  I know this because I have heard this countless times.  First, when my father died when I was 12 years old and again the past two years as I have undergone the treatment for my Acute Leukemia. 

A common response to this statement is, "You are never given more than you can handle", if fact I wrote a short post about this very response just over a year ago here.

The core of this belief can be summed up in this quote by Lisa Wroble:

You are stronger than you think,
remember to stand tall.

Every challenge in your life
     helps you to grow.

Every problem you encounter

strengthens your mind and your soul.

Every trouble you overcome
     increases your understanding of life.

When all your troubles weigh
heavily on your shoulders,

remember that beneath the burden
you can stand tall,
because you are never given
more than you can handle...
and you are stronger than you think.

When I originally came across this quote I was of the mindframe that I was given my cancer for a reason.  I knew I was extremely strong enough to beat my cancer but that every ounce of that strength would be tested to achieve this.  Not only that but I knew I would be able to learn something from this experience.

It wasn't just this circumstance though, I believed my father died for a reason.  Without that tragedy I wouldn't have grown up into the person I am today.  In fact, I believe all the tragedies that happen in our lives happen for a reason.  I won't get too deep into this concept as it is a topic that I will discuss on its own another day.  But it is true from the smallest to the most devastating challenges, they have all happened for a reason. 

Unfortunately, tragedies present themselves regularily in our lifetimes.  In fact, it is more likely that you will have to face a tragedy or two, than not have to face one.  So is that people see someone else going through a difficult time, do they believe that they can't do it themselves? 

I have been contemplating this thought for that last little while in conjunction with Lisa Wroble's quote and came to this conclusion;

We are capable of getting through anything life throws at us

It is in our nature to do so.  We as human beings instinctively are survivors, that is the reason our race survived the threats of natural selection and fluorished.  Not only are we capable of surviving tragedies, we are wired to learn from them.  Remember,

Every challenge in your life
helps you to grow.

Every problem you encounter

strengthens your mind and your soul.

Sometimes when I look back on the past two years at all the things I have had to endure to get through this nasty cancer, I myself am a bit in awe.  I wonder how I got through everything, and even catch myself wondering if would be able to get through it again.  But I know deep down that if I was ever presented with the situation again I would find a way.  That is what we do when we are presented with seemingly unsurmountable tragedies, adapt and survive. 

So if you are ever presented with one of life's tragedies remember the Unknown Truth; you are stronger than you think.

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Branding Ourselves

We are all branded machines; everything about us is a carefully selected brand that we use to portray a certain image.  Our selection is often persuaded by the constant bombardment of marketing we see on a daily basis, and by what is "in style" at the moment.  But at the core of it all we select the brands that we want to portray a statement about us and who we are. 

If we think back to the parable about the golf balls and mayonaise jar we read late last year (to re-read it click here), we can consider all the fussing we do over which brands to buy and and wear the small stuff in our lives; "the sand".  We need to be very careful not to lose sight of this and completely let it define us and who we are as people.  Sure it projects a certain image, but is that image who we really are. 

A little while ago I was reflecting upon my own personal branding.  Like everyone else I have my favourites, and I am very loyal to them.  For instance, I won't run in any other shoe than a Nike.  I have been wearing only Nike's since I first took up competitive running in Grade 4.  They fit my feet right, they have good innovation, and I like their look so why change.  Same with clothes, there are certain brands I stick to.  But as I reflected I realized when I chose to wear certain brands on a particular day it was usually to project a certain image.  In no way did they define who I was as a person.  This was until I looked down at my right wrist.

I wear two accessories that I do believe have come to define me and my inspiration in life.  You see I wear two plastic bracelets in support of cancer; a yellow livestrong bracelet and a red blood cancer bracelet.  I have been wearing the livestrong bracelet since I was diagnosed with acute leukemia and the blood cancer bracelet since I had my bone marrow transplant last christmas.  These bracelets have become prized possessions of mine, only coming off my wrist twice in all that time; during my in-hospital stays.

Since I have begun wearing these bracelets I have been noticing a resurgence of the plastic bracelets.  But like when they first hit mainstream and the livestrong bracelet first gained its popularity, many of the bracelets are random. You can get a bracelet that represents anything again, even bracelets that represent your favorite lens or list the exposure aperture series.

But what most people don't realize is when they put on a bracelet, just like they clothes they are chosing to wear, it is branding them in a particular way.  How do you want to be branded? That you are forgetfull and you can't remember your favorite focal length of lens even though it is stuck to your camera.  Or that you can't memorize and remember a simple series of numbers?  I don't know if this is the best way you want to be branded.  Just like the other brands we choose to wear these bracelets can become "the sand" in our lives; but they can be so much more.

If there is true meaning behind them they can transcend from being just "the sand" in our lives to becoming "the golf balls".  My two bracelets are more to me than just supporting cancer, they have come to represent foundational beliefs that have come to help govern my life.  These foundations are brands that I have become proud to allow help define me as a person.

Have you ever thought of the brands you wear on a daily basis and what image they portray?  Do you spend too much time worrying about this "sand"?  Do you have any foundational beliefs that you wear proudly? If so, what are they?

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