Quick Post, New Poll

I actually posted twice last week so I'll try not to make today's post a long one. 

The past week has been a challenging one for me: sick baby, all-nighters and the resurgence of a depression I thought I had conquered a year ago. I am very fortunate to have amazing friends and family that help support me and, because of them, I muddled through and I'm actually feeling pretty great now.

It made me think about strength. About what the past few years of my life have taught me about being a strong person. This is what I've come to believe about strength:

Being strong is doing what you can for the people you love (and sometimes for those you don't). It's also realizing when you need help and asking for it. Asking for help can sometimes be harder than giving it.

Being strong is stopping to think about your actions or opinions and being able to admit when you are wrong. It is also being confident when you are doing or saying something you believe in.

Being strong is being honest. Honesty is a lot like nudity - it is revealing and it makes you vulnerable. I'm not saying we should all run around naked, but if you are scared to show a part of yourself, it never hurts to ask why you're ashamed of it.

Being strong is being able to change. You're always growing and learning; finding out who you are is a life-long endeavour, but it can be hard to let things go (singing songs from Frozen always helps).

Being strong is not a quality you are born with. It's something you choose to be. Sometimes, you just have to tell yourself that you're strong and believe it. I could write a whole post about this concept, and I probably will one day.

Being strong is making mistakes. It's realizing success is what you choose it to be and not what everyone tells you it is. It's realizing that life is often less about right and wrong decisions, and more about making a decision in the first place.

I hope that makes sense to some people. Please always feel free to comment on anything I write - whether you disagree or agree. I'm always up for friendly discussion or debate. Input or requests for posts (and polls) are also welcome.

Speaking of input - check out the poll on the right. Just a little experiment to see if anyone reads my blog and as a point of interest. What do you guys do when you've had a stressful day?