Stronger is Earned, Better & Important

What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, wise words and something we have all had to deal with at one point or another. It can be a tough reminder when times are not going our way to realize that these days of turmoil do make us stronger. They do provide perspective, experiences and insights that will serve to help us get better, even when we do not feel better as we are experiencing these moments of darkness. Kelly Clarkson wrote this song in 2011, ten years before COVID and her own very ugly nasty divorce. I play it often as it reminds me that tough is earned.

What doesn’t kill us makes a fighter, foot steps lighter…another true element of troubling times. Nothing worthwhile comes easy, we have to be willing to fight for what we want, when we want it, how we want it. If we are not willing to get our hands dirty and fight, then why should anyone else on our behalf? We have to learn to be our best advocate and sometimes that lesson is only absorbed through tough times and long fights.

The best people I know, the ones I admire and value their opinions, are the ones who have been through something. They have experienced struggles, ugly and hairy problems, made sacrifices while working hard to get where they are today. They have earned their ‘creds’ and are respected because they were willing to go through it, do the work and come out a stronger version of themselves. These are also the people I turn to when I am experiencing trouble or strife as they are the ones who understand and will encourage me to keep going, keep moving, keep getting stronger and wiser through this storm. Platitudes sound great when we want comfort, in reality they only make us feel better. What we really need is a living reminder that tough times don’t last, tough people do…so this is the time to get tough.

All sorts of things can feel like they are going to crush our soul – people, circumstances, change, disappointments. Instead of letting them crush us we need to embrace the learning and grow better, smarter, faster, stronger. Kelly Clarkson inspired the globe by reminding us that stronger is better, stronger is earned and stronger is important!