You Are... Strong

“You have power over your mind-not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.” –Marcus Aurelius

Strength is something that I’ve found many girls have a difficult time with. Strength seems to imply physical stature. This is true, but it goes so much further beyond how much a person can bench-press.

Strength is found in the things we overcome. Whether it be physical, like weightlifting, mentally, like taking harder classes in school, or spiritually, like healing a broken heart. Friedrich Nietzsche said, “That which does not kill you, makes you stronger.”

What Marcus Aurelius is trying to say is that strength doesn’t come in changing the situation around us, but in changing the way we view the situation. “When we change the way we look at things, the things we look at change.”

My mom always told me that a name spoke something over someone. Well, my name, Brianna, means “strong” in Celtic. This name spoke strength, physically, mentally, and spiritually into my life from the first breath.  Even at times, when this name felt like a burden of responsibility, I found that my strength wasn’t something I had to prove, but something I had to share. My strength doesn’t come merely from knowing what my name means, but in using my understanding of what my name means in order to overcome the obstacles I face.

You are strong. You cannot change your circumstance; you can only triumph over it. Strength starts in your mind. So, believe it, then live it.

Feel Free to Quote Me.