A Reminder…

On our last trip to BC I had the chance to go back to a place that holds a very special place in my heart – “the rap base”. It was the place I called home for six summers while fire fighting. I took my son there to see the helicopters as that’s one of his greatest loves right now.

As we were wondering around and checking out what was new and what was the same I came across a new cement stairway that had been poured. On the right hand side of each step was etched one of the above words so that as you walked up the stairs you couldn’t help but read :

“Strength does not come from physical capacity it comes from an indomitable will.”

Simple. Beautiful. Truth.

STRENGTH.

Chances are those words would have meant something very different to me at 25 than they do to me now at 35.  Then it would have definitely been about my physical self – the ability to work long and demanding days, the ability to push myself even when completely worn out.

STRENGTH. INDOMITABLE WILL.

Now? Well, it’s much more about the art of living a full life. A life with kids, a husband, a career and staying true to my own self and my own goals. Having my own goals seemed so much easier then with so much less responsibility and demands for my time.

I can still find myself completely worn out on some days but it seems like it’s so much more a mental/emotional fatigue rather than physical.  Sometimes it’s the weight of the never-ending to-do list, or laundry, or dishes that needs to be looked after that can feel draining which is why now more than ever, it’s so important for me to be committed to doing the things that make me feel like me.

This is where the “indomitable will” will piece comes in…for sure there are nights I’d rather watch re-runs of Sex in the City than go to the gym but I am committed to being the best version of me which means I need to do the things that support that goal.  Exercise is just one example but I find that I’m often digging deep to find the strength to be the kind of mom I want to be, the kind of entrepreneur I want to be, the wife I want to be – honestly, there are definitely times when it would just be easier to quit, to say “no” and to shut down.

But that would be saying NO to the experience of my life and that’s not what I’m about. I choose to have an indomitable will regarding the things that matter most.

Let me ask you – what are you going to choose to have an indomitable will for?